Cedar chest links generations

Chuck Guinn, grandfather of Karly Guinn stand by eagerly as his "sweetpea" takes the credit for her interesting 4-H program. The chest, has seen 4 genrations of Guinn in a most interesting manner. The chest made of cedar, grew on her great grandfather Virgil Guinn's Gainsville,MO farm, was hewn by Guinn's father in the 1970's who sahred a cut with his Grandmother and was then stored away for 25 years. Karly, has put this forgotten cedar to use, in a way that generations from now will know and be able to touch the very same wood that their ancestors grew adn furnished.

By Colette Lefebvre

Herald-Tribune

"It all started a long time ago in 1985 when my great-grandparents (Virgil and May Guinn) owned a farm in Ozark County near Gainesville, Mo. Cedar trees grow very thick in this area and often the only tree to grow in these parts is called the "balds" … When my dad and I arrived at Ro Dales (my dad's long time friend), I saw the Cedar boards for the first time. I thought it would be impossible to make those rough looking boards into the beautiful cedar chests that I have seen in magazines. The boards had rough saw mill marks and the bark was still on the two long sides, not really what I was expecting! ...I will always remember the great experience I got while making this Cedar chest. I will also remember all the things I learned about Cedar, but most of all I will remember the times I got to spend working with my granddad and hearing stories from my dad. I hope this Cedar chest will around for a long time to come, so that I can pass along the stories that have been a part of the four generations of my Guinn family."

-- Karly Guinn

Nevada, Mo. -- Karly Guinn is a typical 14-year-old. She's involved in the Vernon County 4-H. She likes wood working and writing. But Karly's project isn't just any 4-H project. Guinn won Reserve Grand Champion honors for her handmade cedar chest at the 2006 Vernon County Youth Fair.

Her cedar chest is a family effort. The cedar is harvested from trees that grew on her great grandfather Virgil Guinn's farm in Gainesville, Mo. Virgil was born in Missouri, and he had many experiences relating to timber.

"My dad was one of the first to make the first cuttings in the Irish Wilderness," said Guinn's grandfather, Chuck Guinn, a former industrial arts teacher who happens to have an extensive woodworking knowledge.

Guinn's great-grandfather, whom she never knew, allowed her father, Brad Guinn, to make some extra money for school in the 1970s by chopping down some of the cedar trees on the family farm. He chopped the wood and sold it, but that all changed when Great-grandpa Virgil passed away. Brad, who found himself needing some extra money once again, went to his grandmother and asked her if she would allow him to cut some trees again. But this time, Granny Guinn, as Karly knows her, told Brad that she wanted 50 percent of whatever he got. She received it, and Brad was chopping away. He found soon enough that he'd chopped too much and stored it away in a cousin's sawmill. Twenty-five years later, fourth generation Guinn told her father what she wanted to do for her 4-H project. So, Brad retrieved the cedar that he had chopped and gave it to his daughter. Karly and her grandfather worked diligently on the project. Since Karly lives in Lee's Summit, Mo., during the week, she was only able to work on the chest when she came to her father's home on the weekends.

Chuck Guinn, Karly's grandfather helped her with his knowledge and support, but notes, "I would not work on it when she wasn't there." said Chuck. Both agree it was a labor of love, and the Guinns have plans to add to the project in the future.

The cedar chest is slated to be inlayed with a picture of the family farm, which was sold long ago. The picture was taken in the 1970's and depicts the rolling hills of Ozark County, Mo. In the foreground, there's a fading red barn and a view of the cedar trees.

"It will always bring back memories," said Karly. Chuck Guinn, is obviously very proud of his granddaughter. "The only thing she did not do was the table saw. She did everything else, the pattern layout, drilling, saw cutting and the finish."

But for Karly, it's in her blood. Four generations of hard-working people, who knew how to work with their hands, the love of the cedar creeping into her blood is to be expected.

"I love the smell of cedar." said Karly and that isn't surprising. "Dad was cutting stavebolt for whiskey barrels, back then there was plenty of white oak timber that they used for the barrels, to take out all the bad stuff out of good whiskey." said Chuck Guinn mischievously. His father, Virgil, and mother, May, lived in California for years while Virgil took on "boom" construction jobs. "Those are the ones that pay," said Chuck. The hard work of his father led to his buying the farm.

The chest will preserve the Guinn family's legacy from the 20th century. Granny Guinn plans to make a quilt to place in the chest as well. Karly will have memories of her grandfather, father and even her great-grandfather whom she never met. Her children, will know and smell the cedar and so on, for generations from now.