▁often ▁rep lac ements ▁and ▁their ▁original ▁material ▁is ▁uncertain . ▁For ▁later ▁examples , ▁especially ▁from ▁America , ▁a ▁r ush ▁seat ▁is ▁common . ▁ ▁Most ▁turned ▁ch airs ▁are ▁of ▁ash , ▁but ▁they ▁are ▁also ▁found ▁in ▁fruit wood s ▁and ▁American ▁spec im ens ▁may ▁use ▁h ick ory , ▁cher ry ▁and ▁map le . ▁Use ▁of ▁o ak ▁itself ▁is ▁relatively ▁rare , ▁but ▁their ▁age ▁and ▁relatively ▁simple ▁style ▁means ▁that ▁they ▁are ▁normally ▁counted ▁as ▁part ▁of ▁the ▁" Age ▁of ▁Oak " ▁furn iture . ▁ ▁Historical ▁turned ▁ch airs ▁( “ Gre at ▁Ch airs ” ) ▁In ▁early ▁colonial ▁New ▁England , ▁large ▁wooden ▁turned ▁arm ch airs ▁— ▁which ▁came ▁to ▁be ▁called ▁" Gre at ▁Ch airs " ▁— ▁are ▁thought ▁to ▁have ▁been ▁used ▁by ▁leading ▁officials ▁as ▁symbols ▁of ▁authority . ▁In ▁the ▁ 1 9 th ▁century , ▁em inent ▁names ▁were ▁attached ▁to ▁individual ▁ch airs , ▁and ▁their ▁sty list ic ▁variants , ▁which ▁had ▁been ▁passed ▁down ▁through ▁some ▁of ▁the ▁" May flow er ▁families ". ▁ ▁Holy oke ▁Chair , ▁or ▁Harvard ▁President ' s ▁Chair ▁— ▁a ▁three - square ▁turned ▁chair ▁( made ▁in ▁England ▁or ▁Wales , ▁ca . ▁ 1 5 5 0 - 1 6 0 0 ; ▁exhib ited ▁at ▁the ▁F og g ▁Museum ) ▁said ▁to ▁be ▁not ably ▁un com fort able ▁and ▁pr one ▁to ▁t ipping ▁over ; ▁reserved ▁for