Post and Rung Chairs Part 1

My maternal grandparents lived in a house built of hand hewn timbers that rested on fieldstone foundations.  In its earliest incarnation, the house had only two rooms seperated by a "dogtrot" and chimney flues bookended the gables.  In the early 1980's my grandparents closed in the dogtrot, added new rooms on the rear and fitted the house with wiring and modern plumbing.  They were the third generation to occupy the house and property that we called "The Old Place". 



For me as a child, all of the objects in and around the Old Place were endless sources of fascination. The house and property contained many artifacts; wagon wheels, butter churns, a surveyor's transit, pocket watches, double barrel shotguns, blacksmith tongs, quilts, and furniture were accumulated from the lives of multiple generations.  Most of it, including the house was made by hand by my ancestors.

I took away from my childhood the idea that whatever was needed could be made.

There were chairs at the Old Place that were clearly hand made, rough hewn and basic. They weren't always comfortable and seemed made for small people, but they endured, outlasting those who made them. 

Many years later, as my life focus came back around to making things instead of making instructions for other people to make things, I started thinking about those chairs, and the factors that contributed to their longevity.

Thanks to my Aunt Pam for the images of the Old Place and old chairs.