High Chair and Chair

In the November 16, 1849, edition of the Western Weekly Review newspaper, Richard “Dick” Poynor declared that he was “now on my own book.” Poynor’s declaration came shortly after his emancipation. He soon established a chair workshop complete with a horse-powered lathe used to create the posts and rungs of the chairs. Poynor used green woodworking methods to build sturdy chairs, eliminating the need for nails or glue. He made a variety of chairs, including rocking chairs, armchairs, children’s highchairs, and sitting chairs. Poynor’s chairs are distinctive because of their mule-eared or curved back posts secured by wooden pegs. He used sugar maple and hickory woods to form the chair and white oak splits to form the seats. Poynor taught the trade to his son James and established a family business, thus advancing their economic status in the years before the Civil War. Poynor died in 1882 at the age of 81.