The Hagans can fulfill almost any custom order, but rocking chairs have proved to be popular over the years. They make rocking chairs of all sizes, from immense 8-foot-tall giant chairs, to ones that are toddler size.
to ones that are toddler size. They also make double rockers and porch swings. Looking around at the equipment in
the shop, Walter says, “Even though it’s handmade, this is modern compared to what my dad used.”
Woodworking legacy A natural storyteller, Walter recount-
ed how it all began. In 1931, his father, Lloyd, decided to
build his aunt and uncle a rocking chair because they constantly fought over the one they had. Lloyd had lived with them in Maryville, La., since he was 8, after his mother died. Lloyd told his uncle if he helped him cut down a tree, he would build them another rocking chair. Al- though his uncle was doubtful, he helped cut down a white bay tree. Lloyd split the log and with a limited amount of tools — a double-bit axe, drawknife, block plane, brace and bit, and pocket knife — made a new chair, using the first chair as a pattern. The rocker portion was made from splitting curved spur roots from a white oak tree. He didn’t have a lathe, so he scraped the wood with a piece of broken glass. The seat was made of cowhide. The chair is meaningful to the Hagans, and looking closely, one can see the marks where the glass was used to smooth the wood. Lloyd began working as a carpenter, and when Walter was around 10, he be-
gan helping his dad build chairs and porch swings. From there, the business grew. In 1984, Walter moved to the Dolph
area with his wife, Martha, and son, Lar- ry. It was only natural that Larry would begin helping him in the shop, just as Walter did with his own father. Larry, 39, remembers sanding strips when he was about 5 years old. By the time he was 10, he was helping his dad in the shop after school, and by his late teens, he was working there full time. Now his own son, Roy, has a lathe, which he uses to turn bowls. Lloyd’s legacy lives on through one of
the rocking chair designs he created in the early 1960s, which the Hagan family refers to as the “regular” design. Walter’s design is “fancy” and features turned dowels. “I kept buying more tools, it kept
growing,” Walter says. “It’s a family trade.”
From wood to rocker The Hagans buy logs from a sawmill
and cut them with their 1920 Corley sawmill. For rocking chairs, they use ce- dar, ash, oak, hickory, walnut, aspen or mesquite. “I’m particular about what I get,” Wal-
ter says, adding he doesn’t want the wood to bust, crack, twist or bow. Making one chair from start to finish,
OPPOSITE PAGE: The Hagan family sits in one of the classic giant cedar rocking chairs they make. If you’ve ever seen a giant cedar rocking chair, chances are Hagan Rockers made it.
We specialize in • Weddings
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LodgeBetweenTheLakes.com LIVING WELL ❚ MAY/JUNE 2019 ❚ 23
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