Wooden “mammy bench” circa 1840s
This wooden “mammy bench” measures 6 ½ feet long and 3 feet high and was donated to Old Independence Regional Museum by the Brock family. A “mammy bench” is a type of rocking bench with a built in side cradle. The design allowed mothers to rock her baby in the cradle while having her hands free to do other work such as knit, sew or peel vegetables. It also allowed women to rock a toddler while nursing a newborn. The design dates back as far as the early 1800s. This bench was given to the Brock family by an uncle and is estimated by the family to be from the 1840s.
