Pete Baxter

Pete Baxter is a first-generation woodworker specializing in Shaker chairs and oval boxes. The lifelong resident of Seymour, Ind., has deep roots in the community. His 700-sq.-ft., white block workshop was built by his maternal grandfather in the early 1950s as a cottage for Baxter’s newlywed parents. Though the building was once located in the “country” outside the Seymour city limits, over time the city has grown and now surrounds it. The shop sits on a small rise overlooking the remnants of a once two-story horse barn that now holds stickered maple, walnut, and cherry boards. Baxter also operates an appointment-only gallery in the heart of the historic district in another building that has been in his family since 1940. His work has earned him membership into both the Indiana Artisan organization and the Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen.