Sharon Mehrman

Furniture Making in 1700s Northampton: Making a Replica of the Sarah Strong Chest

A Public Talk and Demonstration by Sharon Merhman

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Sharon Mehrman, Master Furniture Maker
Saturday, September 28, 2019 | 4:30 pm
Seating is limited to 50
$5 members and donors; $10 all others

Sponsored by

Sugar Maple
Trailside Inn

Photos of the Sharon Mehrman replica of Sarah Strong chest by Pivot Media, Florence.

One of Historic Northampton’s most prized artifacts is the Sarah Strong chest, which we believe was made in Northampton about 1700. Professional woodworker Sharon Mehrman will describe how she painstakingly constructed a 7/8 scale replica of the chest, demonstrate some of the historic woodworking techniques she used, and discuss what she has learned about early American joinery by making the replica. Both the original chest and the replica are in the exhibit Making it on Main Street; visitors are invited to examine the replica.

With a Master's of Design and a Graduate Certificate in Public History from UMass, Sharon C. Mehrman brings over 25 years’ practical experience as a designer and woodworker to her work as an historian of material culture (historic artifacts), tools and technology, and historic woodworking trades. This summer she completed a fellowship at the Winterthur Museum where she researched the transition from handwork to machine-based woodworking in the nineteenth century. She owns and operates a one-woman workshop in Florence, Massachusetts, where she designs and builds heirloom-quality furniture, home furnishings, and historic reproductions. She teaches furniture making and woodworking classes at Hill Institute in Florence, MA.