Gear Review: Camp Chair

When looking around reenactments camp furniture is abundant both in military and civilian areas.   Often times much of what is used at events is not correct to the period.  This is an area where even in some of the best fixed camp impressions compromises are made.  Part of the reason for this is our modern bodies want to sit in a comfortable chair and accurate camp chair reproductions are not readily available.  Some resort to restoring and reupholstering  original frames. I recently acquires a frame to do this myself however, using originals may not always be the best solution but thats a debate for another post.  I have been disappointed in everything I have seen and purchased.  Either the chairs are so far from correct its sad, they sit to low, fabric is wrong, construction is wrong or hardware looks modern. Until recently.  Searching one night I found camp chairs on Etsy that I fell for and starred at many times over a couple of months.  I finally took the chance and placed an order for two of PaWoods chairs.  Why did I fall in love with these chairs?  Well lets take a look at the details.

Both chairs are made of one inch oak stock assembled using mortise and tenon joints.  They are both finished with a top coat of hand rubbed tung oil over a rosewood oil stain.  Most importantly they are both copied from original camp chairs.

The above folding chair is a beauty with lots of great details.  Taken from PaWoods listing in the description this chairs "design and dimensions were taken directly from an original antique manufactured by the E. W. Vaill company."  The hardware for the hinged joints are riveted and the back slats are shaped nicely by steam bending. What really sets this reproduction chair apart is the details such as the brass buttons across the top slat and finials.  I found an image of an original online and they are a vary close match.

The second chair style from PaWoods that I ordered is a folding arm chair.  This might be my favorite as this style is in a famous photo of Ulysses S. Grant during the war.

Just like the other chair this one features correct looking hardware for the assembly where needed.  To match the original chair the arms and back slats are steam bent which gives this chair perfect curves.

When I contacted PaWoods to place my order the communication and response time was outstanding.  Emails were quickly replied to and most importantly the chairs shipped fast.  Five days after I paid the chairs were on my doorstep packaged very well to ensure they showed up in great shape.  They sat in my living room for two days while I admired them.  The first event for them was last weekend at the log cabin that another blog post is about.  They looked and functioned with distinction in the cabin.  I found the armless version to be quite comfortable with the fabric back.  With Grant being one of my hero's the "Grant" arm chair remains my favorite. I highly recommend either of these chairs and likely any camp chair PaWoods is selling if they hold to this level of craftsmanship which is worth the investment.

Head in the Woods

This past weekend was a special one in the context of my living history career.  With several close friends we spent about 72 hours living in a log cabin built in the 1860's at the Wood County Museum in Ohio.  Opportunities do not come up like this and when we found out we had permission the excitement was hard to contain over the several months of waiting for the time to come.  During this time the planning and gear purchasing began!
The cabin and land it was on was owned by the same family for many generations.  The home was added to and updated many times over those numerous decades.  The property was sold and the house was to be torn down.  As this was in process under the siding and plaster very old logs where found.  The family didn't even know part of their house was a 150 year old cabin.  The structure was saved and moved to the Museum.  The cabin was originally two stories with a stairway and a stove instead of a fireplace.  During the restoration the county museum decided to make it a loft instead.  A fireplace was put in as a doorway was cut where the stove sat at one time which was used to access one of the later additions.

Once the cabin restoration was complete two 1850's bed frames and a loom along with fireplace implements were placed inside.  The fireplace tools were there to use but the bed frames could not be slept on and the loom could not be used.  A large table and four chairs are in process but were not in by the time we arrived. Those were the only disappointments.

Skipping past the gear gathering and planning we can get to Friday mid-afternoon which by that time we were set up.  The evening was spent quietly with a simple ham and boiled potato dinner cooked in the hearth with some chocolate tart which was baked and brought along.  All to soon the fire was stoked up and I placing my sleeping cap on to start my first night of slumber in the cabin.
The morning dawned quickly with the sun shining into the windows and the birds singing.  The next two days are now sort of blended together in my mind.  All four of us were kept fairly busy with various chores.  Meals needed to be prepared, water was brought in from a well in buckets, water was heated for washing and dishes were cleaned.  This process took place three times a day.
Other chores that took place included roasting green coffee beans, putting up a clothesline for hanging washed towels, stocking firewood and creating a "summer kitchen".  Knowing the temps would get rather warm Sunday we dug two fire pits outside with one having a sapling tripod to keep a fire out of the cabin.

So what did we eat?  A variety of items but I will touch on the highlights.  I think my favorite meal was handmade egg noodles the ladies made with shredded smoked chicken.  There was also a rice pudding made from a period cookbook with a peach sauce.  The last breakfast of bacon, eggs and pancakes made from a period patent self rising flour with some of the left over peach sauce was a good end to the meals.
The 72 hours ended with two school groups coming through Monday about 1 in the afternoon.  The children came in as we were playing The Checkered Game of Life and we told them some of what they were seeing and answered their questions.

During this experience I had the realization of just how difficult life was comparatively with today.  I have spent most of my time reading about the soldier side and war years.  I thought I understood what general life was like.  To live it brought it to another level of understanding.  Being tired at the end of the day and having to go get water so we can wash up after a warm day was an experience.  Not having much concept of time was an experience.  Waking up to stoke the fire to cook and gather water was an experience.  This time spent was such a small sliver of the large living life of the mid 19th century but it opened my eyes wide.  I have a greater appreciation for the luxuries we have such as running water including hot water!  However, just a full day back in modern life I yearn for the chance to do it again.