History

In the spring of 1970, I wandered into a small ramshackle set of buildings in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, and had a life altering experience. It was the furniture-making shop of Preston Moore, Jr., and it could well have been straight out of the 19th century.

I was a hospital administrator in nearby Tarboro, North Carolina, and had been a woodworking hobbyist for many years. In my quest for information about furniture-making technique, several locals had directed me to Mr. Moore’s shop, as he was well known on the area.

Luckily for me, he had need of workers. I inquired about openings, and with a certain amount of deserved skepticism, I was told he would be glad to have me. After all, who would believe a hospital administrator would give "it" all up to be a furniture maker? The answer – I would!

Mr. Moore was making a decent living, so after consulting with my family, I realized that if I could learn what he knew I could also at least make ends meet.

I have taken a side trip or two when things have gotten tight, but after serving a proper four-year apprenticeship with Mr. Moore, I have had a series of shops of my own, and also served as Master Cabinetmaker at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.

My shops have always specialized in custom work, serving the tastes and needs of my clients. This has meant that I have had to work in a variety of styles (16 at last count), but I must say that I am most at home in those styles of the period from 1650 to 1830. Lately, we have begun to make some high-end cabinets and mantles for our furniture clients. It seems that they get hooked on the high quality of our goods and feel the need to have that same level of quality in the more utilitarian parts of their homes.

  I have been selected for inclusion in the Craft Faire of Greenwich, one of the finer shows in the state of New Jersey; in the Winterthur Museum (Delaware) Craft Festival; and in the Festival of Fine Crafts of Wheaton Village (N.J.). I also have exhibited in Gallery 50 of Bridgeton, N.J.

I have made pieces for many private clients, as well as The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (both while I was there and afterwards from my own shop), Historic Hope Plantation (N.C.), Historic Hancock House (N.J.), the buildings of the Cumberland County Historical Society (N.J.), and the College of William and Mary (Va.).

Articles about my work and me have appeared in the Raleigh (N.C.) News and Observer, the Daily Southerner (N.C.), the Williamsburg Gazette (Va.), the Rocky Mount Telegram (N.C.), the Philadelphia Inquirer (Pa.), the Courier-Post (N.J.), the Vineland Daily Journal (N.J.), and numerous other newspapers and magazines. I have appeared on regional and syndicated public television shows, including several guest appearances on Roy Underhill’s "The Woodwright’s Shop."