Iron Beds, Brass Beds, Sleigh Beds, Trundle Beds, Wrought Iron Beds
Bed News is a service of Imaginists, Inc.
Everything you need to know about Beds
Fairfield Iron Bed Rutherford Iron Bed
Iron beds are beds in which the headboard and footboard are made of iron; the frame rails are usually made of steel. Iron beds were first made in the 1850's. From the start of their production in the 1850’s until World War I, iron beds were hand made with the pride and craftsmanship for which that era is known.
The manufacturing process included hand pouring and polishing intricately detailed casting and hand applying finishes, craft processes still used by the Charles P. Rogers Company and possibly no one else. In the many small foundries around Pittsburgh, PA, Wheeling, WV, and Chicago, IL that employed only a handful of employees, it could take days to produce a single bed. The oldest still-in-business Iron Bed maker in the United States is the Charles P. Rogers Company of New York and New Jersey, www.charlesprogers.com who have made American’s classic iron beds continuously since 1855.
Production of iron beds reached its heyday in the years just before World War I. However, when the United States entered "The Great War," iron was needed for weapons and other military purposes so the production of iron beds ceased. After the end of World War I, the mass-production methods used for war time affected the iron industry as well. The hand-made quality of yesteryear gave way to cost-effective mass production. Not only did this cause many of those small foundries to close their doors forever, it also meant the death of finely-detailed, meticulously-finished iron beds.
Today’s iron beds from Charles P. Rogers, www.charlesprogers.com, are constructed of cold rolled heavier-gauge steel tubing and forged solid bar stock for strength and durability. Iron beds are available in contemporary and antique styles with a variety of finishes.
