The Antique Hall Tree

Many of you know how we came to like antique oak furniture, but I'll mention it again.  We didn't have a lot of money when we first got married.  My husband was thrilled to get a teaching job for $5000 a year in 1969.  We couldn't afford the new furniture that we really liked, so we started buying old pieces for $5 and $10 .  We cleaned and refinished the furniture.  These pieces turned out to be sturdy, and we still have most of them to this day.  At some point in the late 1960's we met a man named Elmer Johnson.  Elmer owned a farm outside of Stoughton Wisconsin.  He went to auctions and filled his barns with old furniture.  Quite often my husband would go out and visit Elmer.  They chatted and more often than not, my husband would come home with a piece to work on.  One particular day he brought home a beautiful hall tree.  We had an old home with an entry hall and an open staircase.  This hall tree fit in perfectly.  It had a hinged box for mittens, hats and sometimes boots.  Our daughters always called it the 'boot box'.  Where ever we moved, we always found a place for it.

When our youngest daughter grew up, she wanted a hall tree like ours.  We searched antique stores and sales, but either they needed a lot of repair or cost a lot.  We are old but not old enough to give away our favorite belongings.  At this point, my husband decided to make her one.  This is the final product.  I think it looks nearly the same and even better because her dad made it. 

This is our hall tree purchased about 1969.

This one on the right was made by my husband for our daughter.  I took the photo with my phone so the color is a little off, but you get the idea.  A pretty close match, don't you think?