Quilt, 9-Patch on Point with sawtooth border, all-cotton quilt (similar to a 1930s Nancy Page pattern called "Spring Has Come"). Hand-pieced and hand-quilted by Eve Spangler in northern Adams Co.
Twenty-five pieced blocks (10 1/2") of 9-Patch pattern, arranged 5 by 5 and set on point. Pieced from various pink, green and red prints (at least 16 different ones) on a ground of off-white muslin. These many prints were typical of the mid-to-late 1800s. Alternating blocks are in green floral print. Inner border is a 2 1'1" wide sawtooth in red print and solid white, outer border is 3" in same black and green print as alternate blocks in centerfield.
Batting is thin cotton. Backing is a cotton floral print on tan ground with overlaid blue stripes. Edge is wrapped with a 1/4" binding, the same red print as in the sawtooth inner border.
Moderate amount of quilting in white thread is parallel lines within pieced blocks and borders. Within green print blocks are tiny indistiguishable quilting stitches that match fabric.
Made in York Springs area, Adams County by Eve Spangler Trimmer (17 August 1825 - 21 November 1887).
Provenance
Donor says maker was her great-great-great grandmother who lived in the York Springs area. Donor says quilt was made for Eve's daughter-in-law Anne Trimmer, for her hope chest. This is incorrect.
Eve Spangler (Aug 17, 1825 - Nov. 21, 1895) and Daniel Trimmer were married on 6 Feb 1844 by Rev. J. Ulrich in Adams Co. They were Pa. German,, Lutherans, farmers and they had a daughter Sarah Anne Eliza Trimmer. The quilt was made by Eve Trimmer for her OWN daughter "Annie", likely before Annie's marriage to Franklin Spangler on 5/28/1871.
Basket of Chips pattern, all-cotton quilt. Thirty-six 8"x8" basket pattern blocks in prints (mostly reds and greens), set on point 6x6, made of 2 eighteen block sets facing eaching other. Alternating blocks are in a black star print. Triple border, 2" each of red, green and red again (in one corner and along side, outside red border in orange, but same print.
Batting is thin cotton. Backing is a navy blue plaid cotton. Binding is same black print as alternating blocks in body of quilt, 1/4" wide.
Quilting is parallel lines over the blocks and borders.
Pinned tag on reverse indicates quilt was documented by the York County Quilt Documentation Project as #W-3-8.
Made in York Springs area, Adams County by Annie Trimmer Spangler (11 October 1850 - 20 September 1911).
Provenance
Made by donor's great-grandmother, Annie Trimmer Spangler, and passed down through son Charles to his daughter Edna Spangler Keefer to daughter and donor Betsy Keefer.
Annie Trimmer married Franklin Spangler (1846-1911) on 5/28/1871 and they had 3 children: two daughters, Hermie and Clennie, and one son Charles. They were likely Lutheran and lived in the York Springs area of Adams County.
Death certificate of Franklin Jacob Spangler records his father as Emanuel Spangler and the maiden name of his mother as "Myers". Baptism of "Jacob Franklin" Spangler notes mother's name was Maria.
Some fading on both sides. Several small spots of brown stains on front. One of the alternating black print blocks, near center, has incipient holes forming.
Object ID
G.09.03.03
Place of Origin
Adams County, Pennsylvania
Role
Quiltmaker
Credit
Gift of Betsy Keefer in memory of the Spangler family quilters, Heritage Center Collection
All-cotton quilt, hand-pieced Baskets pattern with appliqued flowers on off-white ground. Thirty-six 9.5" squares in 6x6 arrangement have baskets of red and green prints set on point with an off-white and green appliqued tulip bud in each. Triple borders are mitered; inner border is 4" off-white, middle is 3.25" red and green zig-zag and outer border is again 3.5" off-white.
Batting is thin cotton and separating. Backing is solid off-white cotton. Binding is back brought forward, 1/4" wide.
Precisely hand-pieced and densely hand-quilted. In each block, quilting follows applique, parallel lines in basket fill, feather cable conforms to basket handle. Feather cable quilting on both off-white borders. On red and green zig-zag is a simple grid.
Made in Latimore or Reading Twp., Adams County, PA by Catherine E. Stoke Wilt (15 October 1843 - 8 August 1910).
Provenance
Made by great-grandmother of donor, Catherine Stoke Wilt, who married James Alfred Wilt and lived in York Springs area. James was a miller at Trostle's Mill in Huntington Twp., Adams Co. Later in life he was a farmer near Hampton in Reading Twp They had a family of 14 children of whom the eighth was Mary who married Charles Spangler (donor's grandparents). Quilt descended to son George, donor's uncle, who presented the quilt to donor as a college graduation gift.
Front has some staining and yellowing. Colors faded. Batting is deteriorating/separating.
Object ID
G.09.03.04
Notes
Note: This quilt is nearly identical to one pictured on the cover of "The Hands That Made Them...Quilts of Adams County, Pennsylvania" by Adams Co. Quilt Documentation Project (see file). Made circa 1875 by members of the Leer family on their farm near York Springs.
James & Catherine Wilt's oldest daughter Sarah Elizabeth (born c. mid-1860s) had a daughter Nora Elizabeth who married Calvin Leer. In any case, this appears to provide an example of pattern sharing based on close proximity and intermarriage.
Appraiser Dawn Heefner notes that this 19th c. quilt pattern of the tulip or rose bud in a basket, may be a design unique to the York Springs area of Adams County. It was not referenced in the principal quilt pattern encyclopedias.
Quilt documented by the York County Quilt Documentation Project, #W-3-2.
Place of Origin
Adams County, Pennsylvania
Adams County, PA
Role
Quiltmaker
Credit
Gift of Betsy Keefer in memory of the Spangler family quilters, Heritage Center Collection
Crazy pattern quilt, solids and prints of wool, twill, silk and cotton. Hand pieced and tied; no quilting. Twenty multi-colored crazy pieced blocks of varying sizes, straight set. Each patch edged in basic embroidery stitches, no interior embellishments. No border. Initials "MW" embroidered into one patch. Initials represent maker Mary Wilt who reportedly made quilt shortly before her Nov. 1898 marriage to Charles Spangler, although appraiser's 1925 date seems more plausible since it is a "scrap" quilt, often called a "make-do" type of quilt, and was likley made from the family's clothing.
Batting is mid-weight cotton. Backing is a brown cotton plaid. Binding is backing brought to front, 1/4" wide.
No quilting.
Provenance: Made by donor's grandmother, Mary Wilt Spangler (Sept 13, 1877 - Nov. 17, 1943) who lived in the York Springs area. Quilt passed to daughter Edna and then to her daughter, the donor.
Mary Wilt married Charles Spangler 11/24/1898 and they were Lutheran. Charles owned a well drilling business. They had three children, George, Mabert and Edna, who was 10 yrs. younger than her siblings.
Quilt documented for the York Co. Quilt Documentation Project, #W-3-9.
Significant wear; many tears and holes in fabric on both sides of quilt.
Outskirts of York Springs, Adams Co.
Provenance
Passed from maker to daughter Edna Spangler Keefer to daughter Betsy Keefer, donor.
Mary Wilt married Charles Spangler Nov. 24, 1898. They were Lutheran. Charles owned a well drilling business. They had 3 children, George, Mabert and Edna, who was ten years younger than her siblings.
Drunkard's Path quilt, all cottons, off-white and Nile green solid. Accurate machine piecing; hand quilting. Off-white border is about 3 1/2" wide on all sides. Center composed of 360 small 3.5" - 4.5" blocks arranged with 20 rows of 18 blocks.
Batting is thin cotton. Backing is the same off-white cotton used on front; backing brought to front for a 1/4" wide binding.
Dense hand quilting with fine stitches. Quilting follows piecing, along with a crescent in each block.
Quilt documented for the York Co. Quilt Documentation Project, #W-3-4.
Made in the outskirts of York Springs, Adams County by Mary Wilt Spangler (Sept 13, 1877 - Nov. 17, 1943).
Provenance
Made by donor's grandmother, Mary Wilt Spangler, who lived in the York Springs area. Quilt passed to daughter Edna where it was used on her bed for many years, then to her daughter, the donor.
Mary Wilt married Charles Spangler 11/24/1898 and they were Lutheran. Charles owned a well drilling business. They had three children, George, Mabert and Edna, who was 10 yrs. younger than her siblings.
Strong wear and aging overall. Significant fading, especially in center. Two areas of dark staining (blood?) at edges of opposite sides. Binding heavily frayed and detatching with two 1/2" ripped holes near dark stains at center fold of one edge. Three quilt pieces in corner are darker green than the others.
Object ID
G.09.03.06
Notes
Note: The Nile green fabric of this quilt was also used in the Double Wedding Ring quilt (G09.03.09).
Place of Origin
Adams County, Pennsylvania
Role
Quiltmaker
Credit
Gift of Betsy Keefer in memory of the Spangler family quilters, Heritage Center Collection
Grandmother's Flower Garden pattern quilt, cotton prints and solids.
Accurately hand-pieced, it has 60 hexagonal "flowers" in 8 rows (four of 8 alternate with four of 7). Each hexagonal flower is pieced with small hexagons; a gold center is surrounded by a circle of a solid color (6), then a circle of one printed fabric (12). A sashing of 2 rows of off-white hexagons separates each flower. The flowers are grouped in colors of yellow, pale pink, lavender, blue, green, orange, pink and a darker blue. No border.
Batting is a thin cotton. Backing is off-white. A 1/4-inch wide binding of solid yellow follows the contoured edges. Moderate amount of hand quilting. Quilting follows shape of each small hexagon.
Some prints used in this quilt also used in the Double Wedding Ring quilt. Good example of classic 1920s-30s quilt pattern.
Made near York Springs, Adams County by Mary Wilt Spangler (Sept 13, 1877 - Nov. 17, 1943).
Provenance
Made by donor's grandmother, Mary Wilt Spangler, who lived outside of York Springs. Passed to her daughter Edna and used on donor's bed for many years of her childhood.
Mary Wilt married Charles Spangler 11/24/1898 and they were Lutheran. Charles owned a well drilling business. They had three children, George, Mabert and Edna, who was 10 yrs. younger than her siblings.
Quilt documented in York Co. Quilt Documentation Project, #W-3-5.
Log cabin quilt of solid and printed cottons, machine pieced. Sixteen log cabin blocks (approx. 15" square) set straight, in 4x4 configuration.
Print fabric in center of block, with pink and off-white "logs". Off-white border with mitered corners, varies 4 3/4" to 5 3/4". Printed fabric is floral; pink and teal flowers, mustard stem and leaves, set on mosaic-like background of brown squares. Logs were sewn onto a white cotton foundation (visible through separating seam in backing).
No batting visible through seam separation in backing which is pieced off-white cotton. The foundation fabric serves as a batting substitute. Backing brought to front creates 1/4" binding.
Moderate amount of hand quilting; follows log piecing. Double parallel lines on border.
Made near York Springs, Adams County by Mary Wilt Spangler (Sept 13, 1877 - Nov. 17, 1943).
Provenance
Provenance: Made by donor's grandmother, Mary Wilt (Spangler) who lived in the York Springs area. Quilt passed to daughter Edna and then to her daughter, the donor.
Mary Wilt married Charles Spangler 11/24/1898 and they were Lutheran. Charles owned a well drilling business. They had three children, George, Mabert and Edna, who was 10 yrs. younger than her siblings.
Note re: fabric use: This pink fabric also used in Double Wedding Ring quilt (G09.3.9) and this printed fabric is found in the Grandmother's Flower Garden (G09.3.7).
This quilt documented by the York County Quilt Documentation. Unknown #.
General yellowing/soil from use & age. Significant brown stains scattered on front: large (abt. 7" dia.) brown liquid stain at center of one edge; large light brown stain at opposite side closer to corner; heavy sprinkling of brown stains largely within one of central white areas; very dark small stain 4" from one corner, etc. Open 1/2" hole in pink fabric near center. Moderate stains on reverse.
Object ID
G.09.03.08
Place of Origin
Adams County, Pennsylvania
Role
Quiltmaker
Credit
Gift of Betsy Keefer in memory of the Spangler family quilters, Heritage Center Collection
Double Wedding Ring pattern quilt in print and solid cottons along w/ some feed sacks; on off-white ground. Hand and machine pieced. Sixteen 20" rings, set 4x4, anchored at all intersections by four 2" x 2" squares of solid pink and blue. Completing the rings are segmented arcs pieced with prints. Border is same off-white cotton 2 1/2" wide.
Batting is thin cotton. Backing is same solid off-white cotton. Narrow 1/4" binding is the backing brought forward.
Densely hand quilted with fine even stitches. Quilting patterns are feather wreath with waffle center and surrounding filler in each ring, and two chain patterns within arcs and along border.
Fabrics used in other quilts: The Nile green was used in the Drunkard's Path quilt, the pink was used in the Log Cabin and the prints & blue in Grandmother's Flower Garden.
Made near York Springs, Adams County by Mary Wilt Spangler (Sept 13, 1877 - Nov. 17, 1943).
Provenance
Provenance: Made by donor's grandmother, Mary Wilt Spangler as a wedding gift for daughter Edna as she married Dale Keefer May 28, 1938. Then to her daughter, the donor.
Mary Wilt married Charles Spangler 11/24/1898, they lived in the York Springs area and were Lutheran. Charles owned a well drilling business. They had three children, George, Mabert and Edna, who was 10 yrs. younger than her siblings.
Some fading and discoloration. Stains over top: 1/2" dia. liquid stain, 2" long brown streak near center, 1/2" long ink(?) streak 6" from side, tiny sprinkled stains in several areas.
Object ID
G.09.03.09
Place of Origin
Adams County, Pennsylvania
Role
Quiltmaker
Credit
Gift of Betsy Keefer in memory of the Spangler family quilters, Heritage Center Collection
