Trestle Bench
2022

The Bench on my patio

In 2022 I built a trestle bench from wood recovered from my grandparents home Grandpa Mixson, originally a two room house, my grandfather built with his brother in 1924 from wood he salvaged from a neighbor’s old barn. My father and his younger brother were born in the house. (see story) After Grandpa died, Grandma sold the farm in 1967 which sadden me for I had many fond memories of spending time at the farm as a boy. In the passing years the house had an addition added, the screen porches enclosed, and was lived in for a number of years but then stood empty for many years. In 2021 I was driving out in the Old Country when I passed the old farm and found that the old house was being torn down. I stopped and talked to the workers, telling my story about the house being built by my grandfather and asked if I could have some piece of wood from it and they gave me two pieces of wood that were from the original part of the old house. One was a hand-hewn log about five feet in length that was used as a floor joist and the other ten foot piece of rough sawn 2x5, bot were have been lumber that my grandfather were have salvaged from the old Sistrunk barn. In 2022 I made a bench from the lumber.

The house being torn down. The work is carrying the floor joist log
that he gave me.

Parts of the bench

Close up of the large nail that my grandfather would have hammered

Updated: 01-31-2025