This hall tree belonged to my husband's great-grandmother. We inherited it (and the history) about thirty years ago.
You see, when we were given this hall tree it had no arms. The story is that great-grandmother told great-grandfather that she needed wood for her stove. Well, evidently great-grandfather didn't act quickly enough for great-grandmother, so she chopped off the arms and used them to fuel her fire. She must have been one feisty lady, and I believe it would have been wise to always respond promptly to her requests. Lesson learned, do whatever is requested of you by any lady that has access to sharp objects that can be used for chopping.
So you see, we love this piece, and we hired a furniture maker to fashion appropriately styled arms to add back to the hall tree. I am happy to report that it has been quite happy ever since receiving its new arms. Fortunately, we have an electric stove, and all I have to do to heat it is turn it on. All of my respect goes to the resourceful woman that did whatever it took to care for her family. She lived to be eighty-eight years old.
The hall tree now lives in our foyer, and I attempt to dress "her" for the season. Here she is decked out with her spring and summer bonnets, and her seat is being utilized by a few of our resident bunnies.
