A visit to a grandparent’s home is magical enough for the cookies, stories, and lax rules. But the Historical Society of Montgomery County (HSMC), Norristown, has recreated one more: the imaginative joy of exploring an attic stuffed with treasures. M. English peered into its current display — “Grandma’s Attic” — for the Main Line Times & Suburban.

Curated items in “Grandma’s Attic” include all the interest of vintage toys, clothing, art, and other tchotchkes with none of the dust associated with finding them amid trunks and boxes.

But more than just the chance to view mementos, the HSMC hopes to revive the flights of imagination they sparked, dreams of grown-up pursuits in feathered boas or derby hats.

The display includes a:

• British tea service from the early 1800s
• Wedding dress from the same period
• Vintage P&R Railroad lantern
• Film reel of old home movies

The idea for the exhibit emerged from brainstorming sessions aimed at “coming up with something light and fun and nostalgic,” said curator Karen Ploch.

She herself couldn’t help but fall in love with a particularly whimsical item, a set of “…big wooden blocks with images of a bunch of animals in people’s clothing walking along.”

More on “Grandma’s Attic” at the Historical Society of Montgomery County (until March 2023) is at the Main Line Times & Suburban.