Trunk & Trundle Room

While this room may seem quite large now, initially there was a wall that created two separate storage rooms. You can see evidence of the original wall through the hole in the ceiling and the line that follows that path down either sides of the remaining walls. It was in 1860 that this wall was removed in order to create a larger bedroom when the inn shut down and was adapted into a family home.

The room situated closest to the hallway would have been used to store extra mattresses (also known as trundles) and linens. The remaining portion of the room was used to store guests’ trunks. Similarly to how we use suitcases today, people in the nineteenth century would travel with all their belongings packed into these trunks.

This room has our largest visible section of lath and plaster where you can still see pieces of horse hair sticking through. This was mixed into the plaster to improve the strength of the walls and to provide extra insulation.

One of the trunks we have is similar to what travelers would have brought to the Fryfogel’s Inn. It is important to note that this trunk would have belonged to a wealthier individual because of the domed top. This meant that other travelers could not place their trunks on top of this one, therefore protecting the belongings held within.

One strange aspect of this room is the little closet that opens onto some exposed brick from the fireplace in the Main Bedroom. It is thought this was used for extra storage space for linens to prevent them from getting musty due to the heat that could travel through the bricks. Additionally, that warmth from the bricks would help bring up the temperature of this room that otherwise has no heat source.

If you’re curious about how the Fryfogel’s got the trunks up to the second level of the building, check out our Upper Hallway page.