North Carolina Historian Publishes a History of North Carolina's Furniture Industry

Furniture World News Desk on 1/30/2024

Raleigh, NC -based historian Eric Medlin announced the publication of the first historical survey of North Carolina's furniture industry. In "Sawdust in Your Pockets," published by the University of Georgia Press, Medlin scans the entire history of furniture manufacturing, design, and sales in the state from the 17th century to the present. 

Topics covered in Medlin's book:

• It begins by explaining the importance of antebellum cabinet makers such as Thomas Day and profiles the work of free and enslaved furniture producers throughout the antebellum period.
  
  
• Shows how cabinet makers transitioned to the modern mechanized industry based in High Point. He discusses a variety of companies, towns, and famed monuments such as the chest of drawers in High Point and the Big Chair in Thomasville.
  
  
• Traces the furniture industry as it adapted labor-saving technology and expanded westward throughout the state.

• "Sawdust in Your Pockets" concludes by telling the story of offshoring and how the state's furniture industry has recovered since the hard times of the 1990s and 2000s.

Along the way, the author uses sources from companies, workers, researchers, and community leaders to tell the story of an industry that has played a vital role in the building of North Carolina.

About Eric Medlin: Eric Medlin is a history instructor at Wake Technical Community College in Raleigh, North Carolina. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2014 and received his MA in history from NC State in 2017. Medlin is a contributing writer at Coastal Review Online and has written two books and several articles on North Carolina history. He currently serves on the board of the North Carolina Literary and Historical Association. "Sawdust in Your Pockets" is available on Amazon. For more information or to order, CLICK HERE.