A joggling or jostling board is a long, pliable board that is supported on each end by wooden stands. The board is springy and a person sitting on it can easily bounce up and down. It originated in the Lowcountry of South Carolina around Charleston in the early 19th century.
Traditionally, it is painted Charleston green. The joggling board's popularity has slowly been coming back, mostly as decorations on lawns and front porches.
Martha Graham bought several joggling boards from Old Charleston Joggling Board Co. [1] on a visit to Charleston and used them as props in her dance Maple Leaf Rag. Photos from the rehearsals show the variety of ways the board was used. The company posed with Graham on the board for the New York Times.
The main board preferably should be between 10 and 16 feet long and wide enough to sit on. Traditionally the boards were made from the flexible wood of a southern yellow pine tree. The end pieces, which are often shaped similar to a rocking chair to facilitate rocking side to side, hold the main board at sitting height.
According to one South Carolina legend, the joggling board was built in the early 19th century at Acton Plantation in Sumter County near Stateburg, South Carolina, and originally developed for exercise purposes.[1]
