Got an oooold trunk

21 years ago

My brother found a really old wood trunk in the trash. He knew his wife would kill him if he brought it home. He knows how much I like stuff like this, so he picked it up and brought it over, but I was not home. He put it in my backyard and forgot to call me. Five days later, he called to tell me about the trunk. It had been sitting in the rain, sleet, snow for all that time. I brought it in and put it next to the furnace so it could dry out. It is such a treasure. It has been very well used. It has been repaired several times and the lock replaced. Some of the paper liner on the inside is still intact. You can see remnants of the straps that used to go around it. I love it to pieces. I get so many compliments on it. My brother-in-law is drooling over it, and wants it bad for his "museum" room. I have it in my kitchen with a beautiful old crocheted runner on top and a hurricane candle holder on it. Will not part with it. So glad my SIL doesn't like this kind of thing, or I wouldn't have it.

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Comments (9)

techsupport8
21 years ago
There's a great website about restoring old trunks. You don't have to want to restore it to get excellent info on keeping it in good shape.

I have two trunks - one that's been painted and is contemporary to the last century and one that's civil war era.

Here is a link that might be useful: Brettuns Village Trunk shop
secondhandrose2
Original Author
21 years ago
Thanks techsupport8,
What a great site, I bookmarked it.
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little_dani
21 years ago
I had an old trunk that was really not in very good shape, but it had marvelous character. I used to keep dried stuff- grasses, flowers, baby's breath- in it. Full of weeds, and got so many compliments on it.

Then my sister came and whined that she wanted an old trunk, so I let her 'use' it. You guessed it, she was so proud when she called me to come see what she had done to the old trunk. Sanded it smoooooooth, stained it "FRUITWOOD" (WHAT is fruitwood?), and varnished it to within an inch of it's life.

I guess she has a trunk of her very own, now.

Janie
Pamelad1
21 years ago
I found an old trunk in my neighbor's garage this time last year. It is in excellent shape including the paper liner. It even has the owner's name and shipping address written on it. I have tried looking up the street address here in Cincinnati, but it doesn't exist anymore. I did do a search on the shipping line and came up with a couple of possibilities. It's kind of fun having a piece of history as part of my decor. Not to mention I love the extra storage it provides (it's full of all of the games I've bought at summer yard sales). I wouldn't part with it for any price!

Here is a link that might be useful:
User
21 years ago
Pamelad

Love your trunk...I wouldn't part
with it either!!!!
Carol_from_ny
21 years ago
I've got a few trunks. One I bought many years ago and refinished. It holds our liquor supply. Another is from when my grandfather came here from Germany many, many years ago. It's one of several they brought with them and the only one that wasn't done over by my mother when I was a teen. I'm hoping it has a new home with it's old look in a bedroom I will be working on soon.
When we moved here the previous owners left a few steamer trunks in the attic. My daughter when she was younger used them to store her dress ups. She's long out of that stag and I'm thinking with there nice drawers they might be handy in my sewing room for storage.
Marcia Thornley
21 years ago
I use my old trunk as a coffee table and also to hold bed linens for the sofa bed in the den. It is really a great storage piece and love how it looks.
desertrat1
21 years ago
HI Rose,

I came over here to look from Garden Junk and saw your post. Well, I'm a trunk lover too. I had never had one but always wished I did. So, I come upon a Garage Sale about 4-5 yrs. ago. I see this trunk (my heart went pitter patter) and ask how much they want for it. I gladly handed them the $60 they were selling it for. They were even nice enough to follow me home to deliver it for me!!! I had it for about a year before my hubby gave in and said I could have it restored. I saw immediately the potentially beautiful trunk- it just needed some TLC! So, I searched. I saw Brettuns, but I picked this other one-Tresaured Chests in North Carolina. Gerry Hoots there was so wonderful with me! I paid for the delivery (which was a fortune!) and had him restore it! After a few weeks it was done and sent back to me. She is just so lovely...I'll have to take a picture and show you!

Love, Jules

Here is a link that might be useful: Treasured Chests
desertrat1
21 years ago
Rose,

Here are the photos I wanted to post for you...This is the trunk I got at the Garage Sale. This is the restored condition. Before it had tin that was turned back on some of the edges, needed paper on the inside and a new tray, new leather handles and the pull. I wish I had the before picture...can't find that one...Also is a picture closeup of the tin pattern. They named it "wildflowers". Oops, I forgot to get a picture of the inside. There is a young girls picture in there too with doves. Let me know if you want those pictures too and I'll snap them and post 'em.

Trunk Tin Pattern

Love, Jules

Got an oooold trunk

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secondhandrose2
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