an old chair

[moconfed]

Maybe a bit OT, but I have recently been given an oak rocking chair that came from the Confederate home in Higginsville MO. It means a great deal to me, as my GGGrandfather spent his last hours on earth at the home, as well as more than a few other veterans, and I'm sure the stories and subjects that were produced by pilots of the chair were interesting to say the least!
Is there any way (with pics, of course) to possibly get a ballpark date on it, and also, I am concerned with preserving the finish. I am very hesitant on cleaning it, even with water, as the original finish is quite oxidized and rough around the spindles, but worn smooth on the seat and arms.
Any advice/help on this subject is more than welcome!

[Spinster]

Contact Cody Mobley, who works at the Fort McKavett site in Texas.


I'm always moved by similar pieces of furniture from the Soldiers Home in Marbury, Alabama.

[huntdaw]

Have you tried contacting Confederate Memorial State Historic Site that preserves what is left of the home? I was the administrator there for 4 years, 1987-1991. There were some pretty good records and photos of the place in the files back then. A photo of your chair might be able to be matched up with some of the photos in the files to give you a better idea of when it might have been there.

One question though - how do you know it came from the home. Is there a documented provenance for it?