Great Lakes Seaway Trail War of 1812 Bicentennial Quilt Exhibit

This traveling exhibit of 1812 period-style quilts and interpretive panels really caught my eye at the PA Quilt Extravaganza, mainly because I love quilts that look old. The panels tell the stories of war, clothing, seamstresses, fabrics, sewing tools, and the possibility that the bedrolls the soldiers carried could have contained quilts from a loved one at home.

Soldiers' uniforms, made entirely by hand, were sewed by seamstresses who were required to complete a uniform in 1 to 1-1/2 weeks. 

You can read about the Great Lakes Seaway Trail Challenge here. The size of the completed panel had to be 30" x 70" but could vary 2" in both directions. Had I known about this challenge, I would have enjoyed making a panel as I love working with reproduction fabrics.  

George Brown's Quilt was made by Sally Wodell Stevens, Ellisburg, NY.  Sally designed her bedroll quilt using a modified version of the Star of Bethlehem which was known in the Philadelphia area. George Brown is the name of her 4th great grandfather who served in the Revolutionary War. 

 

Another interpretive panel and more quilts.

For Thomas is an original design made by Martha T. McCarthy, Londonderry, NH.  
 

Martha invented a story in the form of a letter written by a wife to her husband. It begins, "My dearest Thomas . . . I am concerned for your safety in this cold winter weather and have gathered fabric from friends to make this quilt. The center piece is from the bed curtains that your parents used. The back is fabric that I had planned to use for a dress and the others are pieces from many scrap baskets. . . "

Wasn't this a clever idea? 

I keep track of all military markers when I'm out and about photographing gravestones. I know I wrote about this marker once before but it still remains one of my favorites. Stephen Partridge was a casualty of the War of 1812 when he was killed in 1814 at the Battle of Plattsburgh, NY.  He is buried at Pleasant View Cemetery, Wilmington, NY.

David Hamilton died March 7, 1813 at the age of 32. He is buried at the First Presbyterian Church of Hanover in E. Hanover, NJ. The epitaph on his deteriorating gravestone reads:

In memory of
Capt David Hamilton
who died
March 7th 1813
aged 32 years and 11 months
My wife and child behold,
Your husband and your fathers fate,
And learn that you must die;
And do prepare before too late,
To live with God on high.

 

Major Stephen Young survived the War of 1812 and died Feb. 23, 1847 in the 56th year of his age. He is also buried at the First Presbyterian Church of Hanover.  

Driving home from PA we were at a rest stop on the NJ Turnpike when the setting sun lit up the sky.