What kind of bed is this?

by Regan
(Georgia)

Portion of footboard

This bed has been in my family for approximately 100 years. The problem is, it was given to my great grandmother by friends who found it in their barn, so know one knows how old it is or where it came from. It was found in a barn in southern Louisiana around the Lafayette area and it is made of cypress. I have had trouble dating the piece because there are no identifying marks and certain details, alternating balls and blocks that run across the top of the headboard, don't seem to fit with the rest of the bed. The only parts that are not original are the siderails. The original siderails were in very bad shape and my father made the current ones to look like the originals.