What kind of things do you put in a cedar chest?
I was talking to my neighbor and she said that cedar chests are to put things in when you are younger that you want to use when you get married and have kids…
So I was just wondering what the point of a cedar chest is?
A cedar chest can be a type of a Hope chest. Up to the 1950's and 1960's girls would fill them with linens, clothing, and other things she deemed special our what she thougt she would need to set up housekeeping when she got married.
I have my wedding dress in mine, my Grandmothers bible, special pictures, things my kids have made at school or church, and things from my childhood……. like my stuffed teddy bear, reportcards (which all sucked!! 
) a corsage from a dance……. stuff like that.
Hope chest
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
For other uses, see Hope chest (disambiguation).
A hope chest, dowry chest, or glory box is a chest used to collect items of clothing or household linen, by unmarried young women in anticipation of married life.
The term "hope chest" may be used primarily by Midwestern and Southern U.S. women, "glory box" is used by women in the United Kingdom and Australia.[citation needed]
Social context of a hope chest
The collection of a trousseau was a common coming-of-age rite until approximately the 1950s; it was typically a step on the road to marriage between dating a man and engagement. It wasn't always collected in a special chest, hence the alternative UK term 'bottom drawer'[1], but such a chest was an acceptable gift for a girl approaching a marriageable age. Such chests may have been inherited from their mother or female relatives. They are still a popular gift from woodworking fathers.
Contents of a "hope chest" or "glory box" included typical dowry items such as clothing (especially a special dress), table linens, towels, bed linens, quilts and occasionally dishware.
As a bride would typically leave home on marriage, hope chests were made with an eye to portability, albeit infrequent.
A 'bridal chest' was given to a bride at her wedding, by her husband, and so is not a 'hope chest' in this sense.
Historical origins
Cassone of renaissance Italy
Large decorated and showy chests, forming part of dynastic marriages in 15th and 16th century Italy. These were prized displays of wealth, of even more value than their contents.
Dutch kast or German schrank chests
These are tall wardrobe-like chests with double doors. These are larger than most hope chests, intended for regular service in the home after marriage, and so were constructed as to partially dismantle for transport.[2]
American settlers
The peak of the hope chest as folk art came with the waves of European immigrants to America. Many of these, from Scandinavia to the Northern Midwest and Germans in Pennsylvania, had long traditions of plainly constructed chests with extensive painted decoration.
Styles
The typical hope chest is of lidded blanket chest form. In some traditions, there may also be one or two side-by-side drawers beneath. As with blanket chests, a small till may also be found inside for small items.
3 users commented in " What is the purpose of a Cedar Chest? "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackCedar is a nutural bug repelant, you put linens in them so bugs dont eat holes in them
References :
Cedar repels the moths that eat your clothes, but it's just a place to put your goodies, blankets, quilts, linens, shoes, toys, whatever tickles your fancy. It makes a good toy box especially.
References :
A cedar chest can be a type of a Hope chest. Up to the 1950's and 1960's girls would fill them with linens, clothing, and other things she deemed special our what she thougt she would need to set up housekeeping when she got married.
I have my wedding dress in mine, my Grandmothers bible, special pictures, things my kids have made at school or church, and things from my childhood……. like my stuffed teddy bear, reportcards (which all sucked!!
) a corsage from a dance……. stuff like that. 
Hope chest
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
For other uses, see Hope chest (disambiguation).
A hope chest, dowry chest, or glory box is a chest used to collect items of clothing or household linen, by unmarried young women in anticipation of married life.
The term "hope chest" may be used primarily by Midwestern and Southern U.S. women, "glory box" is used by women in the United Kingdom and Australia.[citation needed]
Social context of a hope chest
The collection of a trousseau was a common coming-of-age rite until approximately the 1950s; it was typically a step on the road to marriage between dating a man and engagement. It wasn't always collected in a special chest, hence the alternative UK term 'bottom drawer'[1], but such a chest was an acceptable gift for a girl approaching a marriageable age. Such chests may have been inherited from their mother or female relatives. They are still a popular gift from woodworking fathers.
Contents of a "hope chest" or "glory box" included typical dowry items such as clothing (especially a special dress), table linens, towels, bed linens, quilts and occasionally dishware.
As a bride would typically leave home on marriage, hope chests were made with an eye to portability, albeit infrequent.
A 'bridal chest' was given to a bride at her wedding, by her husband, and so is not a 'hope chest' in this sense.
Historical origins
Cassone of renaissance Italy
Large decorated and showy chests, forming part of dynastic marriages in 15th and 16th century Italy. These were prized displays of wealth, of even more value than their contents.
Dutch kast or German schrank chests
These are tall wardrobe-like chests with double doors. These are larger than most hope chests, intended for regular service in the home after marriage, and so were constructed as to partially dismantle for transport.[2]
American settlers
The peak of the hope chest as folk art came with the waves of European immigrants to America. Many of these, from Scandinavia to the Northern Midwest and Germans in Pennsylvania, had long traditions of plainly constructed chests with extensive painted decoration.
Styles
The typical hope chest is of lidded blanket chest form. In some traditions, there may also be one or two side-by-side drawers beneath. As with blanket chests, a small till may also be found inside for small items.
References :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hope_chest