It is difficult to imagine, given the 100 years of beautiful furniture styles created by Bassett, that the first product produced by the company's founders was a rough-hewn railroad tie. It was the late 1800s. The Bassett family was operating a sawmill in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains that supplied rail ties for the new Norfolk & Western line that was being built through the family property. In 1892, the rail line was completed and the family began looking for new markets for its lumber.

John David "J.D." Bassett was making a good living traveling the countryside selling goods for general stores when he began carrying lumber samples from the mill. He quickly made his first sale of lumber to a coffin company in Winston - Salem, N.C. and returned home with the knowledge that the furniture industry, and its demand for raw lumber, was gaining a foothold in the region. Soon he had orders for oak from several furniture companies in North Carolina. As he learned more about the industry, he found that the best furniture markets for lumber we re up north and soon was on his way to showcase his Appalachian oak.

The Bassett Furniture Company began with about 50 rugged mountain men and farmers from the hills of the Blue Ridge. The first styles were made of solid oak and featured simple profiles with carved details and overlays. Early furniture designs were purchased from traveling designers for $100.

The company grew rapidly in the following decades. In 1917, the factory was destroyed by fire yet sales at the Bassett Furniture Company reached $1 million. The J.D. Bassett Manufacturing Co. was formed in 1921 with J.D. Bassett’s son, W.M. “Bill” Bassett, as president. In 1927, Bill Bassett purchased Craig Furniture in Martinsville, Va ., and renamed it the W.M. Bassett Furniture Co. Bill’s brother, Doug, succeeded him as president of J.D. Bassett Manufacturing .

To learn more about Bassett visit their website at www.Bassettfurniture.com