09/18/2024
Last month Kate Dallam approached me about refinishing a 154 yr old church pew that had been apart of her family since the 1870’s. One of her grandmothers going back many generations donated the pews to Churchville Presbyterian Church in 1870. It remained in the church until 1950 when it was removed to add a door for the new fellowship hall, and this one was placed in the church basement. It remained their until around 2000 when it was removed and stored in her father’s barn until August of this year. There was extensive damage to the pew and it had decades of dirt and grime caked on it, and to top it off it was missing an end. Kate asked that I attempt to clean it and add a leg support so the pew could be used again as a bench in Broom's Bloom. Many hours of scraping and sanding brought back to life that original walnut grain. The gouges, beetle tunnels, and dents were saved, as that showed the story of the pew. An oil finish was applied to the entire pew to keep a natural look! I hope it provides her family many more years of service. So if you are ever in Broom’s Bloom dairy make sure you have a seat on a piece of Harford County History!!
Lewis Rustic Furniture
