The Sikes/Sykes Families Association

Chair Photos - Page 6

We enjoy hearing from you and sharing with you the interesting pieces that were built by The Sikes Chair Company.

For those of you who do not use digital cameras and find sending images via e-mail a trial,
you are invited to send regular photo prints to the Webmaster, 506 Bosque Vista, San Antonio, TX 78258
where they will be scanned and placed on the site.

I ntroduction Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10

Franklin Parham wrote, "Please find attached digital photographs of a Sikes wooden rocking chair currently in my possession. My parents Mr. and Mrs. Louis Parham of Capron, VA, purchased this chair at auction in Suffolk, VA, approximately 40 years ago. As a child I remember it had a dark brown leather upholstery and I recall it being the typically aged, cracked leather. The chair has been re-upholstered a couple of times. To my knowledge it has never been re-stained."

Our apologies to Mr. Parham in that we could not use all of the wonderful pictures he sent showing the excellent condition of the wood joints and bottom of the rockers, as well as how the seat is mounted in the frame. Space just doesn't allow....

Frank M. Hamilton shared this great story and pictures.

    Shortly before the US Civil War, my Great Great Grandmother purchased a set of 8 dining chairs from your company.
   The chairs still have the blue and white label on them and are marked number 1470.
   When General William T. Sherman began his massive Southern Reconstruction project (his infamous March to the Sea in 1864) through South Carolina, these 8 chairs were wrapped and hidden in the woods. After he had passed, only 7 chairs were found - six side chairs and only one of the arm chairs.
   The chairs' original material was covered in a red plastic cover in the 1940's, but the recover-er had the grace not to remove the original cover (there was only one set of nail holes in the slip seat of the chair, along with the set of nail holes for the plastic).
   I do want to submit to you some picture of these chair - but wonder if you can tell the approximate date of purchase by the furniture labels. The chairs look to be 1850's antiques in the Empire style, and are mahogany.
   At the same time, a large Empire mahogany table (central pedestal with the 4 feet that turn under the base, and two legs that drop down from the ends) was purchased from the Warsaw Furniture Company in Warsaw, Kentucky. Did this company have anything to do with the Sikes Company? The table also has a paper label on it and the table also survived Mr. Sherman's unpleasant visit.

Dave Hollander of Tristan's Antiques wrote, "I found your
web site while researching a Sikes Morris Rocking chair I
found at a Highstown, NJ estate auction. I had to replace
the back which was missing but the rest of the chair including
the leather covered cushions are original. The bottom of the
spring seat cushion has the Sikes label. Quite a nice mission
style rocker."

MDAK2@aol.com wrote to say he/she has a Sikes rocker #1023. If you are MDAK2, and reading this, please consider sending in a picture of your chair and perhaps a short story about it. Most of us will never know what model #1023 looks like.....

Larry Klewin wrote, "I recently became the proud owner of a Sikes office chair.....swivel.....leather back.....brown material seat.....paper sticker on bottom: Mar 11, 1961?....Chair No. X131YL.....Upholstery No. 13115.....Operator Bir Wal S-576 S-224. Can you tell me anything about this wonderful piece of furniture?"
Sadly, as we state at the top of each page of this web site, we do not deal in antique furniture and can not offer opinions as to value of any piece of furniture. What little we know about the Sikes Chair Company, we are learning from each of you who submits your pictures and your stories of your chairs. That information is all available on the first page of our chair site.

Jay Geck wrote, "Thank you for posting the James Peters chair on page 5 with the instructions! I found that same chair in a thrift type stone in Eugene Oregon in about 1984 - I couldn't have paid more than $10. Mine looks identical and I am happy to understand the knobs on the bottom, finally."

Marge Botes wrote, "In the 60's, my father brought home several chairs, one with the "Sikes Co., Inc." 1874 seal on the back. I am sure the others are Sikes Chairs also, as they have a paper label on the bottoms that read Sikes Co # 2512. He was a delivery truck driver for National Cylinder Gas Co. and I think the chairs came from the Marshall-Jackson Co. of Chicago. He was well liked by the company and I believe that either the company was up dating or was going out of business and gave the chairs to my father. My father passed away in 1971 and the chairs have been passed around to his 8 sons and daughters since then. I finagled two of the chairs. One is a swivel chair that I use at my computer desk.

Gerard Polisset has a chair that is similar to mine. He mentioned that a 6 " rod under the seat was broken on his and he had it fixed. I believe that same thing has happened to mine. I need a better description of the repair work on his so that I can get mine fixed. I would appreciate any help that you can give me. I love these chairs and I feel like I'm sitting on Dad's lap when I sit on the chair."

Tnc620@aol.com wrote, "I hope you might be able to help me find out some information about the Sikes Company of Philadelphia. We have tried to search the internet for info about the company like where the company was, the different kinds of furniture they made, etc. I have not been able to find out any information even searching Philadelphia history on early furniture manufacters (sic). We have a lovely umbrella stand that was given to us and would like to know about the company as we have never heard of it. Do you have any suggestions? We would greatly appreciate it thank -you."

Again, all we know about the Sikes Chair Company has been posted within these pages. Your photographs and stores about your furniture pieces are always welcome.

Bill & Lei shared this: "About a year or so ago, my husband and I bought a chair at a yard sale. The only information we have on it is what was found on the bottom of it. This is what was written: #5498 / Sikes Chair Co. / Buffalo Branch / #2479 / Buffalo, NY"

A picture would be so wonderful to have.

John P. Degnan wrote, "I have a "executive" desk with an inlay of "Sikes Cutler" in the middle drawer. It is a knee hole desk with drawers on either side of the knee hole. Can you give me a potential source of information about this desk? I believe it was manufactured in the 1940's."

Art Sikes replied, "The Sikes Cutler Company went out of business about 1935 in the depression. Our web site is the only source of information that I know of. What we have on the web site is all that I can offer, because as fast as we get information, we put it up. If you send us a picture of the desk and how you got it, we can add it to the web site and then maybe others will see it and comment on it."

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