Darkness and dampness hug the space around the steamer trunk.

Travel worn and weary from many decades of development, growth and change, the sturdy trunk protected family treasures.

A faded Christening gown, a hand-stitched quilt, two silver candle stick holders, war metals, a tintype photograph and an old family Bible, were some of the guarded contents.

There were many years in Belarus at the foot end of a wooden bed. Gunpowder, tears, famine and a bumpy ride in the back of a horse drawn wagon were some of the adventures the trunk endured.

Karen Rose Wils

Salty sea air crept around the chest’s metal latches and hinges, but the domed top kept everything inside dry. Then a fresh new air filled with the scent of white pine and cedar enveloped the steamer trunk.

A farmhouse attic became the steamer trunk’s new home. Many below zero days made the trunk creek with stiffness and many hot August nights found the trunk baking in the heat.

The sounds from the outside world changed from cows, horses and chickens to the sound of tractors, trains and automobiles.

A new century began but still the steamer trunk concealed its contents with safety.

Then one day, great-great grandchildren discover the dusty old trunk in the family homestead just before it’s about to be sold. What secret treasures are hidden inside? What stories of family heritage will it tell?

It is fun to discover antiques, and steamer trunks are one of them.

My mother owned two trunks that she kept in storage under the eaves of our house. Where she got them, I don’t know. Did they come with my grandparents from the ‘”old country” I’ll never know.

She stored quilts and blankets in them, and they smelled of clean lined and mothballs. I remember how heavy the lids were on these relics. One time the lid came down on my fingers when I was retrieving a quilt.

Steamer trunks became popular in the 1870s coinciding with the advent of steam-powered travel. The trunks were made of wood and covered with decorations of metal, canvas, or leather. Fancy trunks had compartments and drawers, and some weighed up to 100 pounds.

By the mid-1920s suitcases and light-weight luggage began to replace steamer trunks. But many trunks remained tucked away in basements and attics and used for storage.

Today steamer trunks are very collectable antiques. They are used as coffee tables and decorations in country homes.

I’ll bet there’s a steamer trunk hidden away in your family’s home. What secrets will your trunk tell?

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Karen (Rose) Wils is a lifelong north Escanaba resident. Her columns appear weekly in Lifestyles.