[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 131 (Thursday, August 1, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S5308]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       RECOGNIZING TAPPAN CHAIRS

 Ms. HASSAN. Mr. President, today I would like to recognize the 
200th anniversary of Tappan Chairs of Sandwich, NH.
  One of the first settlers of Sandwich, Abraham Tappan first created a 
ladder-backed Tappan chair in 1819. The chairs became an iconic and 
treasured part of the town's history, with subsequent generations of 
the Tappan family crafting chairs from stout rock maple and hardy white 
ash and selling and trading them throughout the region.
  In the 1930s, the business moved out of the family and was run by 
various members of the Sandwich community. The business continued in 
affiliation with the Sandwich Home Industries, an original incarnation 
of the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen. Tappan Chairs almost 
disappeared in the early 1960s but was saved at auction. In the 1980s 
and 1990s the company was revitalized once again by Gunnar Berg, who 
established a national market for this unique type of furniture.
  Currently, the business is run by Adam Nudd-Homeyer, who has 
dedicated himself to studying the chairs' story, design, and build, 
bringing older models back into production and expanding the selection 
of the furniture's materials. Adam has also continued the tradition of 
using Tappan Chairs to help raise money for local, regional, and 
national nonprofits.
  Tappan Chairs is the only commissioned chairmaker in the world for 
the living Shaker community and is developing a limited edition 
historic reproduction piece with the foremost Shaker museum in the 
country. This iconic business and pillar of the community is now housed 
in the former Sandwich General Store building, having transformed the 
space into an open workshop, showroom, and history exhibit.
  For 200 years, Tappan Chairs has crafted high-quality, beautiful 
chairs, innovating in numerous ways while also staying true to 
techniques and designs that have stood the test of time. As the 
business has passed from one maker to the next over, from generation to 
generation, this wonderful company has encouraged Granite Staters to 
treasure our past and embrace the future.
  Mr. President, I hope you will join me in honoring the 200th 
anniversary of a treasured New Hampshire business, Tappan 
Chairs.

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