Anyone interested in history, Patsy Cline, antique furniture

Via the Shenandoah University Community History Project, some interesting events someone here might be interested in attending:

"First off, on the evening of Wednesday, April 2 will be the annual C. Grattan Price lecture celebrating the history of the Shenandoah Valley. This year we are very fortunate to host Sumpter Priddy, renowned specialist on the furniture and decorative arts of the early American South. His talk entitled "Early Furniture of the Shenandoah Valley," will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the stunning auditorium of Halpin-Harrison Hall, the new home for Shenandoah's business school. A reception will follow.

Then, after years in development, the major conference, "Sweet Dreams: The Life and Times of Patsy Cline" will be held at the Virginia Historical Society in Richmond on Friday, April 4 concluding with an evening concert. The Community History Project is cosponsoring the event. It will be an exceptional opportunity for everyone interested in American culture of the 1950s and particularly in one of its most exemplary representatives, the remarkable country music artist Patsy Cline, to gather for a full day of presentations, discussions, and performances. For more information contact the Society (804-342-9673) or access program and registration information on-line at: http://www.vahistorical.org/news/patsycline.htm .

And finally, the third Virginia Forum will be held on April 11-12 at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg. Two years ago the Community History Project and the Shenandoah University History and Tourism Center were instrumental in convening the first-ever conference bringing Virginia specialists from throughout the historical professions together with a public audience for two days of deliberations on one of America's most historically significant states. Registration and program information for this year's Forum is available at: http://virginiaforum.org"

Thanks for posting these Hart. I won't be attending anything, but they do look interesting. Are you attending any of them?

Have fun, if you do.

Ruby

I'd really like to attend the lecture on the early valley furniture. My great, great-great, etc. grandfathers were furniture/cabinetmakers in the valley. And undertakers of all things. I guess if you were building the box in those days you buried them too. And house builders.

The early furniture was beautiful, much of it colorfully painted in a German folk art style.

I bet it is or was beautiful stuff Hart. Are you familiar with E. A. Clore and Son furniture in Madison VA? It is hand made furniture that my parents used in their home. Each child and grandchild inherited a few pieces each. I ended up with a couple of night stands, a rocking chair, a few foot stools, a bedroom dresser, a twin bed and a beautiful desk. The items that I have are all about 40 years old and most look showroom fresh. They do beautiful work also.

We have a corner china cabinet at the factory in Madison that they are refinishing for us. It belonged to John's parents and survived a fire a few years ago when their empty home caught fire. If you attend, let me know how the lecture is.

Ruby

Oh, yes. SO's mom's dining room furniture is Clore. Beautiful furniture.

I have a chair my great-grandfather made. Just a simple mule eared chair but it's probably over 100 years old and joints are as tight as the day it was made. We have a high chair he made that has now been used by five generations of children in the family.

Wow, that is wonderful about the chair and high chair. The things that are bought in furniture stores today are in no way the same quality that work used to be.

My brother took my mom's Clore china press and his oldest daughter got the large dining table. I have the small round table that was used in their kitchen for many, many years. Forgot about that until now. My brother also got a tea cart made at Clore's. That is one really gorgeous piece of furniture. I suppose if I ever want one, I need to get out the catalogue. My middle niece is now doing what my parents did by furnishing their home in mainly Clore Furniture. Whenever Peggy orders something, there is usually a year long waiting list in front of her. I am not expecting our corner cabinet before next Christmas either.

It really says something when people will wait a year for something to be made for them.

I see so much supposedly handmade furniture that is obviously actually factory made with a few steps done by hand. The finish is usually a really good indicator that it was factory sprayed and not hand finished.

The finish on the Clore pieces is beautiful.

His mom has the sideboard, corner cabinet, table and I don't know how many chairs. I also love the little Clore footstools. She has one of those. The chairs remind me a lot of the chair I have that my g-grandfather made.

I love old furniture and used to do a lot of refinishing, both for myself and as a sideline. I was taught by my father when I was very young so I know how to do what is now touted as museum quality finishing.

You were very smart to get Clore to refinish your piece. I've seen a lot of nice furniture butchered by supposedly professional refinishers.

Now that you mention the ladder back chairs, I have two of those also and a high stool. I guess that I have more pieces than I realized. I love a good piece of furniture too, even though a lot of what I have here is not quality stuff. Over the years I have had things that I have sold off due to moves and such and sometimes wish that I had back.

While on the subject. We also inherited two Barrister Bookcases from his parent's home. They too suffered from smoke and water damage, but John refinished these and they look okay now. Our problem with inheriting the larger pieces of furniture is space. We live in a small 1,100 sq. foot house. We moved here from a 2,200 sq. ft. home.

We still have pieces that John brought home while the furnishings were being divided between the siblings that are sitting in his garage and other storage buildings. Whenever we get the corner cabinet back, we will be changing the piece that the tv is sitting on for something smaller. The smaller table, John will do also. Yes, any of the Clore stuff, we would have them do, John is doing the other stuff himself. I will tell him that you know of what you speak and he may have questions for you down the road.

It is a new week. I hope that it is a good one for you.

Ruby

Tell John I'll be glad to help. A lot of smoke damage can be fixed with reamalgamation rather than stripping down to the bare wood. This is basically just dissolving part of the finish with the right solvent and cleaning off the damaged parts of the finish. Let me know if he needs more information on this.

I hope you have a great week too, Ruby.

Alrighty, I just made a note to tell him of your offer. He mentioned yesterday that he needs to begin addressing the table that we plan to put the tv on when the corner cabinet comes here to roost. ha-ha

Well, the weekend is here. I hope that you will have a good one.

Ruby

Hart, I just saw this thread. I am a history and antiques enthusiast and try to do things like this when they are nearby and convenient. Thanks for posting. Missed it but it is nice to know. Maybe they will do some similar things around here again.