Late 1800’s Park Bench

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A park bench from the late 1800’s or early 1900’s. The cast iron legs are from W.S. Tothill. Tothill mainly … Read more A park bench from the late 1800’s or early 1900’s. The cast iron legs are from W.S. Tothill. Tothill mainly manufactured playground equipment in Chicago from 1875 to 1934. They did however manufacture park benches also. This is a rare piece of Chicago/American history. I do not believe the wooden slats are original because of its age. But they could be? I do know the wood was refinished last year and is in excellent condition. The wood is cedar. All the hardware is new stainless steel. This bench is very heavy. I also have a postcard (not sure if it is original) that apparently was sent to the city of Chicago superintendent of parks and recreation regarding this piece. Not sure of the date, the postage is 1.5 cent. Included also is a copy of a W.S. Tothill advertisement. If you Google W.S. Tothill you can see some of his play ground equipment patents and newspaper ads however I could not find the park bench patent or ad. The item number is stamped on the legs #333. This is truly an historical piece. See less