Throughout the 1800’s, iron beds came in double size (53″ x 75″), twin size (39″ x 75″), 3/4 size (48″ x 75″). What many people don’t realize is that there were Youth Size beds, between the twin and crib size. Youth size, were only about 31″ wide and sometimes as short n length as 54″. The…
Few things, throughout history, have survived like that of iron beds. They seem to have an indestructible nature to them. Because they are made of one of the strongest and most durable materials known to man, it’s not that unusual to see beds in “aftermath” photo’s of natural disasters. I have actually had customers that…
As you may already know, the largest size bed being made back in the early 1800’s was a double size. So when someone wants a king size, we convert whatever original double size they select from our inventory into a king size. That’s done by cutting the bed apart in integral places and adding additional…
Thank you to a customer who was kind enough to share this grand old tradition of sleeping outside on a screened in porch . Iron beds on porches were not uncommon during the Victorian era. The homes were designed specifically with areas for beds. Why……because of the hot humid nights during the summer months. There…
French campaign iron beds were portable and used originally, by the French during their on going military campaigns. Up until these collapsible beds were invented, the officers had to sleep on the ground in bed rolls just as the enlisted men did. The soldiers never had the luxury of a bed that elevated them “off”…
Here is a prime example how a little design sense, iron beds and ingenuity can turn an otherwise wasted space into a peaceful retreat. We all have our idea of how much space is needed to set up a particular size bed. Usually we want walking space around the perimeter of the bed so it…
In the past 40 years, I come across just about every imaginable shape bed you can think of. I can remember the first time I saw French Campaign iron beds and how fascinated I was with the practicality of it’s use when the armies of Europe went on “conquering” campaigns. But the bed that is…
Many of my customers are looking for that first “big girl” bed, for their daughters. Because most people are trying to be conservative in their selection of a bed and may have some concerns about the duration a child is going to want what they’re spending their hard earned money on, there are ways of…
Yesterday I posted a blog that showed the casting on a bed of the “Lone Star” emblem of Texas, encased in a “horse shoe”. It was right our of the wild west and a definite Texas phenom. This casting came on a bed that we found close to Chicago Illinois. Chicago had it’s share of…
It’s commonly thought that back in the early to mid-1800’s most of the iron beds that were being made were coming out of the tri-state area of Ohio, Pennsylvania and W. Virginia. So you certainly wouldn’t expect a northern foundry to be producing a bed with a western flare to it. Then how did such…