Bidspirit auction | Southern Cherry “Cannonball?? Rope Bed

Southern Cherry “Cannonball?? Rope Bed from the Birthplace of Major John Pelham, Early 19th - Early 19th-century Southern rope bed with boldly turned “cannonball” posts, likely cherry with dark stained surface, the simple head and foot boards joined by straight side rails originally fitted for rope supports and now adapted for slats. The bed is accompanied by an oral tradition from the Pelham–McGehee family that this was the childhood bed of Major John Pelham (1838–1863), famed Confederate artillery officer known as the “Gallant Pelham.” The bed descended in the family from Pelham’s birthplace near Cane Creek, Alexandria, Calhoun County, Alabama, through six generations to Miss Louise Foster (d. 2020). A rare opportunity to acquire a Southern rope bed with direct Pelham family provenance. Approx. 54 in. H, 54 in. W, 74 in. D. Condition: Estate condition; expected wear, scuffs, and surface marks from long use; age cracks and minor losses to posts and rails; currently with later rope lacing and adapted for slats; structurally sound overall.