Graham and Julia examine a few of nearly 7,000 Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments at The Henry Ford

In 1978 when Norm and Dorothy Snyder opened their tiny greeting card shop in Warsaw, Indiana, they never dreamed it would evolve into a tourist destination and one-of-a-kind museum. Not to mention that their legacy would become a part of the world-renowned Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation.

Julia points out to TJ an airplane she’s familiar with from an earlier visit

The indoor Henry Ford Museum and companion 80+ acre Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Henry Ford’s hometown, were always a part of our family’s life. As Graham and Paige were growing up we had an annual membership* which made it cost effective to visit often to explore American history inside and out. Now, with their two girls, Graham and Nina carry on the tradition of being members of The Henry Ford, and TJ and I had the joy visiting the museum with two-year-old grand daughter Julia (and her dad) when we were in Detroit last January.

After taking our seats in a vintage airplane and flying, according to Julia, to Italy, and then winding our way through the Driving America aka Packard exhibit (to Julia, every car is a Packard), we found the space dedicated to Miniature Moments: A Journey Through Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments. The collection from Warsaw, Indiana, had migrated north to the Detroit area.

Of the mind-boggling thousands of decorations displayed and artfully lit, Julia immediately spied a favorite pal and squealed “Snoopy!” We had fun looking for the rest of the Peanuts gang and more familiar characters, recreated in mostly Christmas ornaments but also Easter, Halloween and other holiday baubles.

David Hamrick (left) curated the collection in The Party Shop owned by parents Dorothy and Norm Snyder

But let’s back up a couple of decades.

In another life, on assignment in northern Indiana for Midwest Living magazine, I made a stop at The Party Shop and met the family who put suburban Warsaw on the motor coach tour map for its incredible collection of Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments.

After many years at their downtown location, Norm and Dorothy Snyder had moved and created a 12,000-square foot Hallmark Gold Crown Store—about triple the size of an average Hallmark shop—in a strip mall with easy road access and plenty of parking for tour buses.

Hallmark introduced its Keepsakes in 1973

And visitors—the curious and the collectors—found their way to Warsaw and the Ornament Museum, where 30-plus glass-fronted cabinets, custom made by local Amish woodworkers, housed the only public display of every Keepsake Ornament made by Hallmark since the collectibles debuted in 1973.

Curated by the Snyders’ son David Hamrick, the more than 4,500 holiday ornaments were arranged chronologically and reflected the trends and taste of the times (Miss Piggy was hot in 1983).

David conceived the museum after acquiring several hundred ornaments from the collection of a friend, Jess Prudencio, in 1996.

“Can you imagine, people from all over come to Warsaw and the cornfields of Indiana to our museum?” said Norm, seemingly still in awe as he recalled rigging chicken wire for their original store’s humble ornament displays.

After 41 years of welcoming visitors from around the world, in January of 2019 The Party Shop closed. And the Keepsake collection—by then numbering more than 6,600 ornaments from 1973 to 2009—took its place alongside other significant contributions to Americana at The Henry Ford.

In a press release Patricia Mooradian, president & CEO, The Henry Ford states, “Hallmark’s Keepsake ornaments have become an essential part of Americans’ holiday traditions. Over the years Hallmark has transformed the way we decorate for the holidays by taking risks and rethinking the design, technology and marketing of its products—all while remaining true to their vision and core values.”

More than a half-century after introducing six simple glass bulbs and a dozen yarn ornaments in 1973, to annually releasing 300 to 500 highly detailed and often whiz-bang, light-up, music-making pieces of pop culture, Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments have established a place in American hearts, homes and history.

Hallmark releases 300-500 ornaments each year