Here’s a little Lane cedar chest. It’s hard to get the dimensions from a photo, but it’s about ten inches long and 3 inches high. I’ve had it since 1983, when I was a senior in high school.
A furniture store in Brownstown, a small town near the one where I grew up, gave these little chests to each senior girl who came in to request one. Getting your mini Lane cedar chest was kind of a tradition.
I’ve looked online to learn more about these mini Lane Cedar Chests. Believe it or not, someone has even made a Facebook page about them.
Mine has sat in a cupboard for years, holding receipts. I wish I had a more charming use for it, but so far none has come to mind. It has a keyhole so I presume I have a key somewhere, although it’s not something I would typically lock.
It’s a sweet, nostalgic reminder of a day gone by — I assume Lane is no longer making these, because honestly giving girls little “hope chests” seems hopelessly antiquated today. But I love mine.
The other night the girls and I watched “Meet Me in St. Louis,” and at one point I commented that I had been born in the wrong time. I belonged in the era of that movie (early 1900s), when girls learned to cook and sew, and when in the evenings a lady would walk over to the standard family piano and begin to play. The family would then all gather around and start singing along. Ahhhh … good times.
Sorry for the little tangent there. Have you ever heard of a mini Lane cedar chest? Anyone out there get one, either as a high school senior or at another time?
Girls in White Dresses 
I’ve never heard of them and didn’t know you had one. I don’t think I’ve ever seen yours. I agree that you would have fit into that era well. If only we could go back to such a wholesome era!
I have one! it looks just like that, lock and everything, except it’s from a store in Corpus Christi, TX. How fun! It was my mom’s but I don’t know how or when she got it. I will look up those links. I’ve had it for years–as a kid I had all kinds of childhood treasures in it. Now it doesn’t have much–just some old paperwork from back when my kids were in Awana a loooong time ago.
I have one also!!! Yes, it was given to me when I was a senior in high school (way back in 1957) by Lipps Furniture Store. I always kept my band awards (medals, ribbons, etc.), some special religious-type cards which I didn’t want bent by my Bible and prayer books, and memorial cards from loved ones who had passed away. All these items were close to my heart and I felt they deserved a special place to reside. The chest has always been precious to me and I have loved it. I checked out the links in your blog today. My chest has nothing on the bottom but I found the matching engraving on the inside of the lid.
I am glad you got the little cedar box and wonder if your sisters did? It makes me happy that you appreciate having it! As far as I know, back in my era, they were not given away. Course with us living near such a small town, possibly stores in Evansville gave them and I never heard about it. I inquired about them on Pinterest and found lots of interesting bric a brac from the era.
[…] it just has odds and ends. It never occurred to me to ask when or where she got it. Then my friend Susan had a post about these Lane chests. It turns out that for many years, the Lane company gave these out to female high school seniors […]