Pictures by Haley Carter/For Historic Rock Castle
This year's Silent Auction at the Membership Booth during Daniel Smith Days will feature a truly one-of-a-kind piece--a handmade sugar chest! The sugar chest featured in the pictures below was made by local historian and master woodworker, John Garrott. Mr. Garrott, who founded the Sumner County Museum in 1970s and who is a great friend to this site, has donated this beautiful piece to our site to be sold in this year's Silent Auction at our site's biggest celebration of the year, Daniel Smith Days!
Sugar chests were popular and quite attractive pieces of furniture, featured primarily in the South, during the 18th and 19th centuries. A sugar chest is essentially a large wooden box, with four legs that provide a standing base to the piece. The box itself primarily held sugar; however, it also held some spices (provided there was a drawer on the bottom to accommodate them).
Sugar was a highly prized commodity during this period, and thus was a great expense to working families. Because of this reason, sugar was, of course, kept under lock and key (thus the key hole where the upside-down tear drop is on this particular chest) to insure its security. While the wealthier could afford such luxuries as sugar, the less-affluent would use honey, molasses or maple syrup as a supplement. The majority of sugar used in the United States during this period was imported from the West Indies region. Processed in a cone-shape, clay molds would remove the syrup from the raw sugar and produce sugar crystals. The housewife would purchase the cone of sugar and cut it into small lumps for use.
If you have ever been able to tour the interior of Rock Castle, you may recall seeing a sugar chest in our historic home (not pictured) during your tour. The sugar chest we have on display in the house is an original to the family. It is the sugar chest that belonged to Sarah Smith, Daniel's wife, while they lived here, at the Castle.
The starting bid for the John Garrott handmade sugar chest will begin at $300, so be sure to come prepared if interested!
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