Barbara Mott, Miniatures Expert and Co-Founder of Museum, Dies

Barbara Mott, one of the founders of the Mott Miniatures Museum, died Sunday from complications due to leukemia. She was 66.

Mott founded the Mott Miniatures Museum in 1949 with her sister, Elizabeth, and parents, Allegra and DeWitt Mott.

In 1958 the museum--eventually consisting of about 75 exhibits, mostly created by the Motts--moved to Knott’s Berry Farm. In 1992 it was relocated to the corner of Beach Boulevard and Orangethorpe Avenue in Buena Park, where it now operates primarily as a retail outlet.

A pioneer in the miniatures industry, Mott co-founded with her mother the National Assn. of Miniature Enthusiasts in 1972. She also served as the first president of the organization and, in 1976, co-authored with her sister “Mott Miniature Workshop Manual,” one of the first how-to books about miniatures.

In recent years she had been working with her family on securing a permanent location for the miniatures collection, most of which is now in storage.

Mott is survived by her sister, Elizabeth Mott of Placentia, brother Bill Mott of Kansas City and nephew Chris Mott, his wife, Kimberly and their son, Jason, all of Buena Park.

Private services will be held Wednesday at Forest Lawn in Cypress. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to the American Cancer Society in Barbara Mott’s name.