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Antique Questions Forum / Champion Springfield Ohio Campaign Bed

« on: July 16, 2008, 02:12:55 pm »

Does anyone know anything about the Champion company out of Springfield, Ohio, who would have manufactured a wooden bed which folds into a box.  It has headboards on each end on wheels which fold under the bed part and the whole thing folds into a box that has a leather handle and can be carried.  The story I was told a year ago when I bought it was that it was a civil war campaign bed used by military doctors.  They would have it carried from camp ground to camp ground and folded out so they would not have to sleep on the ground. It is about 6 foot long when it is all folded out and, I think, the headboards on each end make it unique.  I took it to the Antique Roadshow last weekend in Wichita, Kansas,(it did not make it on the show) and the person who appraised had not seen one like it and told me to look up the company Champion in Springfield, Ohio. But the one I found on line does do military containers but does not ever say they ever made wooden beds.   Anyone else have any else they made or seen anything like this?  I would like to find out the age of it? and if it was truly used during the civil war? he thought it was older because of the hinges used on it.  My thought was - how could he appraise it if he had not ever seen one like it?  Thanks for any information.