Hello from Hazard!
Mystery Item No. 1308 is a… drumroll please… Joggling bench, joggling board, bouncing board or jiggling bench, depending on who you ask. Different names for the same thing, I think.
Joyce Hann wrote in via email to say it’s called a jiggling bench. “It was mild entertainment to sit and bounce a bit. The front porch is just the right place. The one in the column is a very nice example.”
Over on Facebook, Jenn Shafer and Karen Noffsinger called it a “joggling board.” David Blankenship said it was a “bouncing board.” Everyone on Facebook also mentioned how this item is commonly found in the South, with Jenn Shafer specifically mentioning finding them on “front porches in Charleston, SC.”
Katy Robbins commented on the website with her guess that it’s called a “courting bench.”
David Gauch also commented on the website to say it’s a “joggling bench.” He said they were quite common in the South and are still made and sold.
I still wondered what the origin story was behind this item, and why it was called a courting bench. From what I could find, most sources set the joggling board’s origins to 1803 at a plantation in Sumter, South Carolina. Ms. Mary Huger moves in with her brother, Cleland Kinlock, to help manage the house after his wife died. While there, Mary develops rheumatism, which makes it difficult for her to indulge in her favorite pastime, carriage rides.
She writes home to family in Scotland, and they send her plans for a joggling board. The Scottish cousins suggested she could sit on it and bounce gently, giving her more exercise. The plantation’s carpenter built a joggling bench from the specs. According to the Old Charleston Joggling Board company, “the joggling boards spread quickly to the yards and piazzas of the Lowcountry until it became almost as commonplace as a swing set or hammock is today.”
As for why it’s called a courting bench, I may have figured that out, too.
“As the joggling board became a popular gathering spot, it also transformed into a favored locale for courtship,” according to a Valentine’s Day blog post from The Joggle Factory, a company formed in 2010 to manufacture and sell modern joggling boards. “Young couples would seek out these benches for intimate conversations, where the gentle sway created a calming rhythm perfect for heartfelt exchanges and romantic moments.”
How sweet.
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What do you know about the joggling board? Did your family have one growing up? How was it used? What was the story you were told about its origin and use? Please share your stories with us in the comments!
