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Made in the USA: Handcrafted Amish Steamer Trunks

By Rain Noe - March 2, 2012

in Object Culture | Furniture Design

People who make things by hand in America, particularly things made of wood, are a small breed of revivalists and family-legacy craftspersons. But one stable population of builders in little danger of being replaced by industrial robots are America's technology-eschewing Amish. Their population is estimated at 250,000, and while not all of them are able-bodied males, the ones that are still provide a sizable workforce.

Problem was, up until recently if you wanted to buy Amish goods, you needed to visit Lancaster or one of their other U.S. settlements. (It's not like you could fax them an order.) But lately they've either been letting the technology thing slide, or some enterprising non-Amish businessperson has partnered up with them, as there's now something I never thought I'd see: An Amish goods website.

The furniture sold on AmishHandcrafted.com is as stodgy as you'd expect, but what caught my eye are their line of steamer trunks made from maple and oak, with sliding tray inserts made from aromatic cedar.

Leather handles and brass or nickel hardware round out the $568 pieces, which seem pretty indestructible (though there is a $120 "old-world distressing" option, if you want them to look beat-up).

Lastly, if you want to pony up another $33 they'll add a custom-engraved nameplate.

Every once in a while I'll write up a product or furniture piece and get a thank-you e-mail from the designer/builder. I won't wait for that to happen this time, as whomever built these trunks is probably not sitting around reading this on their iPad.

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Tony Shoemaker

12 years ago

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I grew up in Lancaster county, PA, and I have to say I have never seen an amish made steamer trunk. Mostly because the Amish have no use for them. The Amish stayed put and did not move, as a rural subsidance was enough to keep them employed and fed. So a steamer trunk is a foreign object to them. What you would see and can purchase in the area, are Hope chests. These are simple but beautifully crafted blanket chests that were given as dowry presents when a young man would propose to a young woman. The chest was built by the father of the bride and given to the son-in-law as a means of providing some basic goods to the new couple in starting their lives together.

While I cannot offer proof of it, what this website seems to do is turn craftsmanship and employment of the Amish into a marketable brand. I have come across many "Amish" furniture places before, as far out of Amish lands as Plano, Texas. And like the "Amish" fireplaces advertised on the back cover of Parade magazine, they may employ a few Amish folk to do the work, but make no mistake- its a factory like any other, and is mass producing products, albeit somewhat by hand.

Real amish goods can only typically be found in Lancaster County PA, and some counties in northern Ohio. They are made with hand tools and the evidence of this comes in the hand wrought jointery, lack of screws and lack of any modern parts like brass pieces, or leather handles. These alone are a dead giveaway that this product is not genuinely Amish- they are diametrically opposed to anything decorative in their lives and see them as being vain.

However, as the old order Amish are pretty much gone, many of today's Amish peoples do work in and with the "english" (that's what they call the rest of us modern folk) and it is very likely that the Amish are working for a company that is marketing their craftsmanship skills. Just don't think you are buying something that is truly authentic- Some entrepreneur built a factory around someone elses skills.
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Mike Nelson Pedde

12 years ago

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You may not hear from the builders, but there are those (like yourself) who truly appreciate fine craftsmanship, so I'll say thanks for sharing this! This is art.

Mike.
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