Help needed - old bed? Type?

[Beckykelley79]

Hello all! I picked up an old bed dated in the 1850s today and was told it was believed to be part of an old conastoga wagon. Not having a lot of luck finding any info online so hoping someone could help or give me some ideas of type of bed, etc? It is all wood painted with milk based paint. Thanks!

[mart]

What is the size ??

[Beckykelley79]

Youth - looks like maybe the size of crib mattress or a bit smaller. What I was told was it stored items in a covered wagon like a conestoga and would be used at night for the kids to sleep in. I have been unsuccessful though finding any information on that.... Thanks so much for the reply!

[mart]

That is such a neat old bed !! Can I ask what you paid for it ?? I certainly would not say that it wasn`t a bed for a covered wagon !!  The conestoga wagons did not come equipped with beds !! Just an open canvas covered wagon bed !!  Each family equipped their own wagon with what they needed for the trip !! So if they needed a bed for kids they just made one or took a bed with them if they had one that fit !! It sure looks correct for the time period !!
But one question is what does it look like underneath !! How is it made ??  How and with what is the bed held together ??

[Beckykelley79]

I paid $120.00 for it at a flea market.

Here's what I know about it:
The woman who was the the previous owner was an elderly lady who owned an antique store in DC. She had the piece for many years. She sold it to the folks I bought it from when her shop closed. It was an 1850s bed -  Note the colors are blue and pink. The paint is not lead, and is thought to be milk based paint. The paint is original and changed during te time period based on the newest baby who was born. If a boy was born they painted it blue, for a girl it was pink. The bed is nailed together with two slats inside. The bottom looks like long metal prongs that hold the slats. Think of it like a photo frame that has the small metal clips you lift up and down on the back.

I'm making this a bench in our sunroom and actually love it! Just can't find any info on it.

[Beckykelley79]

Here is a picture of the bottom. Notice metal clips on the side.

[mart]

Can you see the nail heads ?? It would be unusual to have nails inset like that !!  Normally it would he been screws of some type !! Can you check that ??

[Beckykelley79]

Here are some pics of the nails:

Let me know if this helps. No screws anywhere.

[Beckykelley79]

More pics of the nail inset:

Also I looked agin at the clips and they are actually the long end of a nail that's holding the wood slats not metal clips.

[cogar]

Those are not "cut" nails ..... thus they are post-1882 .... and were probably added post-1900 to prevent the boards from "falling" out due to the weight on them.

And they were surely driven into the end-boards by someone who couldn't drive a nail "straight" ..... or was too lazy to lean over very far when doing said.

If circa 1850's they should be "cut" nails and possibly "peg" construction.

Check those "round" looking nail "heads" to make sure they are not a "wood" peg.

[mart]

I agree with Cogar !!  And the Conestoga wagons were mainly freight haulers,, the wagons that transported people westwars were the smaller, lighter Prairie Schooners !! Still look basically the same or similar so can see why they made that mistake !!  One thing that is troublesome are the dark, almost black areas I see behind the paint !! Looks like the bed was exposed to the weather for many years !!  That would naturally age it more than what I would expect !!

[Beckykelley79]

Thanks all for the input. I did take another look and found some wood pegs. Looks like someone nailed the bed together at some point to reinforce it. I will have to look at the other wagon type and see if I can find some information on it.

[mart]

You will not find beds of any kind associated with covered wagons !! As I said earlier they would have been equipped by the family that used it,,not the maker of the wagon !!  When you buy a wagon of any kind that's what you get !! Just the wagon,, not furniture to go in it !!

[Beckykelley79]

Got it! When I said research I was hoping to find someone who may have something similar to the time but this looks like a one of a kind. Regardless I am happy with my find and it will make a great bench for our sunroom. Thanks to all for your input

[mart]

No matter what,, you got an excellent buy !! Its a keeper !!  Oh and forgot to say welcome to the group !!  Just wanted to make sure that in your searches you looked for the wagon,, and not a "wagon bed" !! That would bring up all kinds of wagons because all have a bed,, just not the kind you are looking for !!