Solid wood furniture handcrafted in northern Indiana
At Manasses Henry Furniture Co., heritage is honored in the way our wood is chosen, how the joints are cut, and the way every finished piece leaves the shop with our name attached to it.
From a 4,000-square-foot workshop on a small northern Indiana farm, a handful of craftsmen build solid-wood furniture using methods that trace back generations. The result is furniture that feels familiar the first day you live with it and sturdier with every year that passes. For many years, our work was known under another name: Amish Heritage. The pieces were shaped by the same values that defined early Amish and Shaker makers in this region, concepts such as simplicity, honesty in materials and a quiet confidence in the work.
The new name, Manasses Henry, keeps a connection to those roots without narrowing who we are.
We honor the early family craftsmen, while giving space for new ideas, new collections and a broader audience.
Today, the spirit of that early shop lives on in the way we build: solid North American hardwoods, traditional joinery.
Owner and carpenter Bill Yoder started on a dairy farm, hammering together birdhouses and feeders, fascinated by how wood could be shaped into something useful and beautiful.
Later, Bill and his grandfather William launched WNS Wood Creations, a small custom shop where they built anything people wanted: tables, hutches, cabinets, and one-off pieces sketched at kitchen tables.
The very first piece Bill built for his wife, a small corner hutch he gave her on their wedding day, turned into a stream of word-of-mouth orders that kept the shop busy.
The next chapter began in 2014, when Bill met Gene Beach, then owner of Manasses Henry. What started as a few custom projects quickly became a deeper partnership.
Bill’s parents bought a house from Gene Beach, who had weathered the 2008 downturn, and was building furniture out of his garage to keep the brand alive.
Bill’s shop, WNS Wood Creations, began building pieces as a subcontractor for Manasses Henry. Gene then joined Bill’s payroll as a mentor, advisor and salesman, guiding designs and introducing Bill to longtime customers.
WNS Wood Creations began building for Manasses Henry, and Gene later joined Bill’s payroll as mentor, advisor and salesman.
Bill purchased the company and took responsibility for carrying the Manasses Henry name forward. The patterns, methods and expectations Gene had developed for decades are now embedded in the way Bill and his team build every piece.
Manasses Henry operates from a 4,000-square-foot shop tucked beside Bill’s home on a small northern Indiana farm. The modest scale is intentional: every piece gets individual attention.
The shop size intentionally stays modest so every piece receives individual attention.
Red oak, white oak, maple, cherry and walnut acclimate before they ever see a saw blade.
Mortise-and-tenon joints are cut to last through decades of use and repair, not just a few moves.
Each piece is guided start-to-finish by a craftsman who treats it as their own work.
Start with a collection piece or talk with the shop about custom work built around your room, your use, and your wood preference.
