The Courting Chair

THE COURTING CHAIR

by Anthony

When Henry Clay was alive, he had a courting chair. The word courting means to date. When a young lady and a gentleman would sit on the Courting chair they couldn’t touch each other. They could talk to each see other as they talked. When someone was courting one of Henry Clay’s children, he would light a candle and when the candle had burned out the boy or girl would have to leave. The candle was like a timer.

Today most people do not have courting chairs. One reason might be that people like to watch TV together and it would be hard for both people to see the TV if they were sitting in a courting chair. In this century we can watch TV together, say hi and give each other a hug. Most people today would sit on a couch together.

The Great Courting Chair

By Crystal

The courting chair is in Henry Clay’s House. The color is red and it has a little brown. The courting chair is in the living room. In Henry Clay’s time people dating could have a conversation but they could not touch one another at all. So in the Courting Chair they could talk face to face without touching each other. There are a lot of ways you can have conversation in the courting chair. Two girls can talk, a girl and a boy can talk, or two boys can talk. It is not just for dating.

Did you ever hear of a courting chair? Third graders from Picadome Elementary learned about this special kind of chair when they went to Henry Clay’s home. Back when Henry Clay was living, people called dating courting. Instead of going out on a date, young men and women would sit in the parlor and chat. The courting chair in the picture let men and women sit and talk without touching! Because there was no electricity they had to sit and talk by fire and candlelight. If the father didn’t like the boy who had come calling, he would shorten the candlestick so that the boy couldn’t stay as long. If he did like the boy, he would give him a very tall candlestick, so that they could have a long time to chat.