Many cedar chests made as these kept things very well and prevented mold and mildew from destroying the chest and its contents. The sailors often declared that the cedar chest was their friend on long trips. The funeral directors in the day used cedar and pine to build coffins for the deceased. Some doctors had declared in England where the plague that had killed many if they would bury those affected in a cedar coffin it would prevent the spread of the deadly disease. Cedar is a wood that over the centuries has had its uses for many good things.