When my husband and I moved to Keene New Hampshire a few years ago, we decided to collect vintage pieces from the past to decorate our home.  Keene is still a manufacturing town, but at one time the Keene area was known for pottery, glass, and furniture.

One item was sent around the world from Keene to grace homes and hotels.  The front decks of hotels all over the US and even as far away as Australia were made friendly by Keene Rocking chairs.

looks like a Keene chair on the end with the upside down acorn

There were many furniture makers in the area, but the Keene furniture company was famous for their porch rockers.  They weren’t high class Victorian fancy chairs.  These were built for comfort and possibly talking and playing checkers.

There were many furniture companies in the area

When I first moved to Keene, the Historic Society of Cheshire County had their annual auction and a Keene rocker was up for bidding.  I really wanted it, but it kept going up and up in the bidding.  I figured how hard could it be to find another one?

A lot harder than I had imagined.  I’ve now put the word out I want one with arms, two would be even better (then my husband and I wouldn’t have to take turns rocking)

The first part of hunting for a Keene rocker, is to get to know your prey.  Most Keene rockers were not marked.  I had to learn what a Keene rocker looks like.

Upside down acorn

Some have the upside down acorn on the top.  Also some have a sort of slit for the rockers.  Many do not have a slit for the rocker.  A rush seat is common, though some also have a rush back.

The mystery rocker on top of a dresser in Swanzey. It is an odd size. Was it a Keene rocker or not?

When I saw a possible Keene rocker at a nearby vintage shop, I didn’t know if I should purchase it or not.  It has the acorn top.  It has the split rockers.  But, it is a peculiar size.

Some rockers were split and some were not. It’s just one clue to help find a match.

There are no arms, and it’s not quite a child’s rocker, but not a full size rocker.  When in doubt, the Historic Society of Cheshire County comes to the rescue.  I took photographs of the chair and asked for help.

Saved in the collection, the answer to my question

Now HSCC has Kathy, who is so much more than the first person to greet you.  She knows how to help you find anything.  That long lost relative.  Where your family used to live.  What kind of rockers the local furniture makers produced.

Alan Rumrill, is the director of the Historical Society.  He knows how much I want a Keene rocker, so he helped join in the chase.  Kathy and Alan found old catalogs with the rush seat chairs.

Number 14, which explains the lack of arms and size

Then it was up to me.  I had to compare the photographs of the chair with the drawings of the chair from the 1916 catalog. The chair showed up quickly.  It was number 14, a sewing chair.

What seemed an odd chair, was just No.14

Since it is for sewing, there are no arms.  This was not a rocker meant for resting.  Also, it was smaller as this was a woman’s rocking chair.  Men weren’t going to be sitting in the sewing chair.  The chair is a bit small for me, but my long and large grandson should fit in it perfectly.

First off will be the repair of the frame.  Next comes fixing the rush work, or caning the chair seat.  Then I suppose someone can rock and sew if they wish.  I hope people will just enjoy sitting in it and thinking that over 100 years ago in this town, this chair was made.  

Two cats for size. Step one, fix up the frame. Two, I know someone who can bring the seat back to the original !! Also what a thrill to find number 14!

Somehow it ended up on top of a dresser in a vintage store in Swanzey New Hampshire.  Now for $20 it belongs to me.  I’m sure when it is brought back to life it’s going to have cost a bit more than $20.

The hunt is still on for an adult sized chair with arms.  But with the friendly staff or the Historic Society of Cheshire County, I’ll be ready to validate it when I find one.

Again at a home, number 14 will I hope have another 100 years of use

The staff  is the keeper of the history of the region.  History is not preserved there to be hidden away.  It’s there to be shared. This time it was my turn to say “Hey, how can we figure out the history of this chair?”  It can be “figured out” because the history of the region is safe there, and now I have a bit of that history in my own home.  So thank you again Kathy and Alan.  This may have been just a small mystery to solve, but a small piece of local history will now be conserved and saved.