Martinsville and Henry County, Virginia was once a major hub for the American furniture industry, including Bassett, Stanley, American,and Hooker. Elements of these furniture manufacturing giants remain today, but no where near what they once were. To quote a September, 2009 article in the Martinsville Bulletin:
"To commemorate this history, the Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corp. moved a 20-foot tall big chair made by Bassett Furniture Industries into uptown Martinsville to honor the area’s furniture heritage. The chair is made of solid ash with a boat-like finish. Each of the back two legs has 56 pieces of wood, and the seat is made of fiberglass with a decal replicating the actual fabric on the Grove Park Mission chair. Grove Park was Bassett’s best-selling style at the time. It weighs 4900 pounds."
I took the photo above during a recent visit to Uptown Martinsville. It is indeed BIG when you stand next to it looking up. The detail in the chair is also impressive. Definitely worth a visit.
