Baskets quilt, all cotton, has 16 pieced blocks on point alternating with white blocks. Pieced blocks center a basket of a yellow foliate print and a red print of small squares, all on a ground of the same red print. The yellow basket handle is appliqued. The 5"-wide outer border, the back, and the applied binding, are white cotton. Cotton batting.
Hand-stitched quilting designs, pencil lines still visible. The basket blocks have 2 strings of diamonds, a triangle, 3 hearts and a fleur-de-lis. Alternate white blocks have a large flower at center and a 3-leaf motif in each corner. Perimeter open triangles have a diamond grid. Border has running cable.
Provenance
Quilt was made by Elenora Brackbill, donor's aunt, who lived and died in Strasburg area. Donor believes the quilt was made for her own birth (Oct. 16, 1913). Elenora was a single woman and a "practical" nurse who assisted with births, nursing adult patients and cleaning. Elenora first lived in one half of the house on the family farm with her single sister Mary. The family farm was located near the Strasburg Mennonite cemetery just west of Strasburg.
Elenora and Mary then moved to 209 W. Main St. in Strasburg when donor was in her 20s (i.e., 1930s). Elenora died at age 95 and is buried in Strasburg Mennonite cemetery. Donor recalls the family all attending St. Michael's Lutheran Church on E. Main St. They were not Mennonite and did not dress plain. Maker's parents were Amos Brackbill (1840-1913) and Hannah Catherine Bair Brackbill (1849-1922).
Quilt was never used according to donor, however there are minor stains and soiling at various points on front and back, including some acid burn where likely exposed to wood. Pencil marks for quilting very evident.
Object ID
G.01.46.01
Place of Origin
Strasburg
Credit
Gift of Hannah C. Brackbill, Heritage Center Collection
Log Cabin quilt, Straight Furrow variation. Made of pieced cotton prints; over 30 different prints are used in the 30 blocks. The design creates diagonal "stripes" of alternating dark and light colors. Center square of all blocks is the same pink floral print. A 6" outer red print forms border and also binds edges, turned and stitched to back. Back is a dark brown print of circles on flecked ground.
Lancaster County or region.
Quilting is inexpertly hand stitched in white, running in straight lines down the center of each "log".
An "X" in the center square of each block.
Provenance
Unknown provenance. Donors were dealers and acquired this quilt as part of their personal collection.
Quilt is white cotton, top and back, with appliques of potted floral design done in solid red and a green with lesser yellow highlights. Pattern is often called "Pot of Flowers." Center is divided into quadrants with an identical large flowering & fruiting potted plant supporting 4 birds in each, creating a symmetrical design.Ornate pot has handles and the branches have leaves of stylized oak, tulip and cucumber. Border has a pair of wide-spreading flowering & fruiting plants on each side and a bird perched on a smaller sprig at each corner.
Blue is used only on the tail of the four corner birds. Red cherries cluster around branches on each plant; yellow ones at branch tips only. Cherries are cotton-stuffed balls stitched to quilt top only. Chain-stitch embroidered stems done in white thread.
Quilting is done in a fine grid (about 1/2") of blue contrasting thread over entire surface. Binding is red and batting is sparse or nonexistent..
Attributed to Sarah Annie Maisey Marker Smith (22 February 1883 - 22 December 1965). Married twice, she had 7 children & made quilts for many if not all. The family called them "cherry quilts." See Notes.
Provenance
Donor reports quilt was acquired by his wife's parents, Lynn and Lois Langdon, who lived in Idaho and were antiques collectors. At an auction in Oregon state (c.1987-88), the quilt was described as a "Pennsylvania wedding quilt." The Langdons purchased it, thinking it would be appropriate for the Lancaster bed & breakfast "The Patchwork Inn" run by donor and his late wife. (Donor's wife, Joanne, died some time ago. He remarried and they continued the B&B for another 10 years.) The Martins had a collection of over 100 quilts in this B&B. Now retired, donor is finding homes for many of the quilts.
Bio. info on maker Sarah Annie was obtained by Trish Herr from Morgan Anderson (see file). Quiltmaker lived on Easterday Rd, north of Myersville, MD.
Red binding and many stuffed cherries heavily worn. Loss of 2 cherries on one of the large quadrant plants. Minor soiling with some liquid stains, mostly around edges. Reverse has light acid burn at some fold lines. Along one quilt edge are spaced eleven minor holes, probably where tacked up for display in B&B.
Object ID
G.02.47.01
Notes
Applique quilts such as this cherry type "Pot of Flowers" design with its color palette of red and green were being made circa 1850s-1870. Red and green applique quilts were popular in the East, then spread westward where they remained popular during this time, then faded. Two more Pot of Flowers are dated 1902 and 1904, but really had a significant resurgence in the1920s and 1930s. See Connie Nordstroms, "One Pot of Flowers Quilt Pattern -- Blossoming through Centuries", Vol. 23 of the Research Papers of the AQSG, 2002 in file.
Place of Origin
Myersville, Frederick County, Maryland
Role
Quiltmaker
Credit
Given by the W. Lee Martin family in memory of Joanne M. Martin, Heritage Center Collection
Strip quilt, composed of alternating printed and all-white strips, 6 printed and 5 white. Print is an ombre blue ground with tan medallions edged with a scrolling foliate design and red roses within. Back is three joined pieces of white cotton. Back corner is stamped "KH06".
Quilting is done with an undulating feather on the white strips and a diamond pattern on the printed strips. Back wraps around to front to form the binding.
Stamped on the back of one corner is "KH06." Unknown meaning.
Inscription Type
Stamp
Object Name
Quilt
Material
Cotton
Height (in)
89
Width (in)
90
Condition
Good
Condition Date
2015-06-16
Condition Notes
Generally good with little wear. Most pronounced are about 30 dark stain spots sprinkled across front. Two liquid stains on back as well as a small 1/4" hole.
Object ID
G.03.26.02
Place of Origin
Lancaster County
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Paul A. Mueller, Jr., Heritage Center Collection
Nine-Patch Quilt with 4" square blocks set on point. Pieced cotton blocks composed of many multicolored prints and 2 solids (cheddar and tan). Alternate blocks are a pink print.
Nine-patch blocks arranged in 12 rows of 12 each. Top and bottom have floral print border on a dark gray ground; one is 3.5" wide and one 4.5" wide. Same print used as a binding, machine stitched to front, wrapped and hand stitched to back. Back is a cotton print of alternating floral and plain stripes.
Quilting is not carefully executed and uses sometimes white and sometimes tan thread. Parallel lines run through corners in both directions. Pink print blocks have added quilting around edges. Two borders have a repeating chevron design.
Single Patch quilt made of printed cotton diamonds on point on a field of white cotton. There are eleven rows of 26 printed diamonds pieced with white ground patches of large and small squares. The large patches are quilted with a pattern of five overlapping circles and the smaller patches filled with parallel lines. The printed patches are also quilted with parallel lines, but in the opposite direction.
Quilt top and white cotton back are joined together at edges, with a narrow (1/2 - 5/8 inch wide) border of a blue-green print machine-stitched to front side only - not a true binding. This was of course reworked at a later time.
Inscriptions: Cross-stitched in red, at back corner is "SM / 7 / 1831." Another corner has "LBS" in pen and ink, indicating ownership by Paul A. Mueller, Jr.'s maternal grandfather, Lewis Buch Sprecher (April 22, 1876 -- April 27, 1975).
Provenance
Donor believes quilt descended through Lewis B. Sprecher's mother's side of the family.
Generally good; reworked border with machine stitching at edge, with at least 3 areas of open and fraying seams. Some areas covered with a light brown staining or soiling. Dark reddish brown stains at 3rd & 4th square of center row. Several minor scattered stains. Two of the 4 printed diamonds having a turkey red ground and heart flowers show significant deterioration; one has a long split and the other overall deterioration with holes and splitting.
Object ID
G.03.26.05
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Paul A. Mueller, Jr., Heritage Center Collection
Amish Bars pattern Quilt, rectangular, pieced in gray synthetic fabric and black cotton. Back is pieced green cotton and is brought forward to create a 1/4" binding, which is secured with hand stitching. Quilting stitches in dark thread, mostly diagonal. No batting is evident.
January 26 & 1916 quilted into two different bars, diagonally opposite each other.
Due to the strong use of black, it indicates an origin outside of Lancaster County, most probably Ohio. Good comparison piece to Lancaster County Bars quilts
Provenance: Brockman purchased quilt from Kate Kopp of American Hurrah c.1994 in NYC.
Significant number of holes and losses, especially near binding. Some fading.
Bars or stripe quilt of cottons, using three different prints of brown-to-beige hues on the front and another on the reverse. Border all four sides, 7.5" wide, is lacy-edge paisley containing a branch of flowers, on a tan ground with pin dots and angular geometric shapes. Alternating bars in centerfield have the same width of 7.5"; of 11 total, 6 have stripes and five are floral. Red stripes alternate with an abstract brown motif. The five floral stripes have a 3-petal flower on a picotage ground. Backing is a Cotton batting. Cotton print on reverse is ovals, each with a flower within. Backing is a floral print on dark background, brought forward to create binding.
Quilting patterns are swag at borders and floral bars. Diamond grid striped bars.
Overall soil with some darkening. Many small to medium size holes, mainly in striped print on flowers(see sketch of condition in this file). Several large liquid stains and several small ones.
Reverse has larger ragged holes and a variety of strong stains. Deteriorated and detached fabric along central fold line; scattered deterioration elsewhere, especially on the dark dyes that used an acidic mordant.
Object ID
G.04.23.38
Credit
Gift of Sarah Muench, Heritage Center Collection, LancasterHistory.org
Medallion quilt of pieced and appliqued cottons and chintz. Design is a center diamond within a square within a diamond within a square, all within three different borders. Center diamond within a square has 9 large blocks of white cotton, 5 with five large appliqued circles of chintz and 4 with pieced triangles of printed cottons and a floral "Persian embroidery" applique at center. Next is a diamond of chintz., followed by a large square of pieced triangles in same geometric pattern as the center diamond.
The inside 6" wide border uses the same chintz pattern as the diamond. Middle border has a white cotton ground with pieced "overlapping" diamonds of various chintzes. Outside border is same chintz print of inside border.
White cotton backing is brought forward to create narrow binding. Quilt patterns used are waffle, flowers and cable. The chintz pattern used throughout was made in the 1820s, thus suggesting the date for this quilt. Batting is cotton.
Made in the Paradise area by Jane Weakly Leche, with help from Margaret McCausland Sample, mothers of David Harmanus Leche (1825-1862) and his wife Harriet Ann Sample (1828-1896).
Provenance
Maker(s) to son David Harmanus Leche (1825-1862) and his wife Harriet Ann Sample (1828-1896) to Harriet Sample Leche Keller (Mrs. Charles B. Keller, 1858-1951) to daughter Harriet Elizabeth Keller Shand (Mrs. James Shand, 1892-1946) to son and donor James Shand (1926- ).
Quilt had a stitched-on fabric label, now removed, with handwritten statement (c. 1925) by donor's mother, Harriet Elizabeth Keller Shand. Message was transcribed on paper by James Shand in 1991. It states: "Property of Mrs. Keller 85 to 90 years old. Made by Jane Weakly Leche wife of David Leche. Margaret (McCausland) Sample wife of Dr. Nathaniel Sample helped to sew on it."
Fair to good condition due to fabric deterioration, soiling and liquid stains. Losses & deterioration mostly in triangular pieces but also some large blocks of one chintz. Heavy liquid stains scattered overall. Liquid stains very visible on reverse. Generally sound structurally, although there are two significant holes through top and back, an L-shaped tear about 3" in from one quilt edge and a fabric separation hole near point of one center diamond.
Fabric label removed from quilt back and placed in file.
Object ID
G.04.37.01
Notes
Family genealogy in this file includes two pages of family tree offered by donor. See Ellis & Evans, pp. 922, 106, 661 and Biographical Annals, pp. 151, 1210.
Role
Quiltmaker
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Amish quilt with a Goose Tracks pattern is made of polished cottons in light green, dark red and light blue. Pieced Goose Tracks blocks of red and blue appear on a center field of green. Of the 25 blocks, 13 are pieced, alternating with the remaining plain green blocks.
Outer border, 12" wide, is dark red. Blue binding is one inch wide. Reverse is a crepe wool of very dark purple/burgundy.
Perhaps Indiana
Quilting is hand done in white thread. Plain green blocks have a feather wreath with cross-hatched center. Goose Track blocks have a large-scale cross-hatch pattern. Border has a symmetrical arrangement of large motifs spaced distinctly apart from each other. Smaller tulip at center and two flanking, unusual feathers leaning away from tulip. Corners are delineated by piecing & quilting stitches. Each corner is quilted with a floral reel using 4 tulip-like flowers.
Most evident is the faded and soiled binding. Large semi-circular dark stains throughout red border. Strange streak-shaped fade marks mostly following one center fold line. White muslin is basted along one edge of reverse to create a crude sleeve.
Perhaps made in Indiana due to extensive use of red and pastels.
Most prominent is the faded and soiled binding. Large semi-circular dark stains throughout red border. Strange streaks of fading mostly follow one center fold line. A crude sleeve of white muslin is basted along one edge of back.
Object ID
G.08.17.02
Credit
Gift of Joanna S. Rose, Heritage Center Collection
Lancaster Amish Bars quilt of twill and plain weave wools, machine pieced, hand quilted. Seven bars, 3 dark red and 4 green, all vary in width 4.25" - 5.25". Surrounded by inner border, 3.25" - 3.5" in width, of dark green with corner squares of light green. Outer border is 10.5" wide of the same dark red as the bars. One-inch binding is a tan twill, machine-sewn in black.
Unknown Amish maker
Wool batting. Original red backing is covered over with cotton red check, machine-sewn in black around perimeter and tacked haphazardly throughout quilt with very noticeable heavy black thread extending from top to back. It has some puckering and fabric failure.
Hand quilted in black thread, diagonal grid throughout bars; inner border has pumpkin seed florets within a triple diamond pattern; corner blocks have a 15-petal flower; outer border has two undulating feathers gracefully criss-crossing each other with a horseshoe curve at corners.
Fragile with fading. Heavy fading within red border at head and foot; light streak through center bar. Binding is very thin and has multiple holes, tears and weakened areas. Obvious holes in red fields. Replaced backing with puckering and fabric failure.
Object ID
G.08.17.05
Place of Origin
Lancaster County
Credit
Gift of Joanna S. Rose, Heritage Center Collection
Lancaster Amish quilt, Center Square with Ninepatch, 5"-square blocks set on point. Top and back are all crepe or knitted wools except for outer border and binding which are plain weave.
9-blocks on point are red and green alternating with dark green blocks. Four 9-blocks have remnants of cursive lettering printed in yellow. Inner border is a grayish lavender with purple corner blocks. Outer border is blue with Kelly green corner blocks. Dark purple binding is 1.25" wide. Crepe wool backing is an unusual printed pattern of diagonal striping in mostly browns and greens.
Hand quilted in dark thread. 9-Patch blocks have a grid; alternating blocks of inner field have a multi-petal flower and half-blocks have triple chevrons. Inner border has pumpkin seed florets within triple diamond pattern; corner blocks filled with an 8-point star. Outer borders have an asymmetrical pattern of undulating feather motifs with empty spaces filled with multi-petal flowers.
Maker needed to piece various parts of quilt apparently due to insufficient yardage. Strips are added to ends of all 4 sides of blue outer border, two of the outer corner blocks, two of the inner border, and two half-blocks of inner field. Various components have been done in two different fabrics.
Ohio Amish quilt of cottons, pieced with a pattern called "Grandmother's Choice", according to Ladies Art Co. (pattern #129, published in the early 20th c.). One block has "1915" over "FG" embroidered in red.
Within an outer border of black (5" width on sides and 4" width on top and bottom) is a 2" wide inner border of pink. Inner field of quilt is pieced with black and various hues of blue. Field consists of rows of blocks on point, alternating from 3 to 4 blocks in each row, with 21 total blocks. Each block is pieced with black and one hue of blue to create the Crosses & Losses pattern. Half blocks around perimeter of field are all the same medium blue. Blocks are separated by black sashing, 2-3/4" wide.
Wool batting. The backing used the same coral pink polished cotton of the inner border. The pink binding, 3/8" wide, is made by bringing the backing forward and is machine stitched in white.
Most quilt blocks (18 of 21) have embroidered initials done in various colors, yarns, stitches (mostly chain stitch) and letter styles, obviously by different hands. (See drawing in file) Most (2/3) are done with cursive lettering in a very casual manner, especially compared with the expertly executed "FG" associated with the 1915 date. Half of the initials face one side and half the other.
Dense hand quilting done in lines with dark stitching throughout center field, except for light blue half blocks that are filled by a large half-flower done in white. Inner and outer borders both done in a shell pattern, white within pink border and black within black border.
Considerable fading, wear and soiling/staining, with wool batting visible through dark fabrics. This results in white spots sprinkled over surfac. See drawing of quilt condition in file.
Object ID
G.08.17.07
Place of Origin
Ohio
Credit
Gift of Joanna S. Rose, Heritage Center Collection
Quaker-made quilt, silk block pattern called Square-in-Square or Economy Patch. Made by professional seamstress Addie Lamborn. Comprised of 25 pieced blocks 10" square, set straight in rows, 5 x 5. The silk dress fabrics are tan, blue and light yellow and are prints, solids and weaves.. Tan 3-inch sashing and dark blue cornerstones.
Handquilted inexpertly in dark thread with an overall large-scale grid. Stitches are large and uneven with crooked lines - not in keeping with the otherwise excellent workmanship. Perhaps the old note in file: "Hemstitched by Alice C. Lamborn Long Feb 1931" refers to this quilt?
Backing is a red, solid cotton and is brought to front to form binding. Thin-weight wool (cotton?) batting.
Appraiser notes the name of this quilt is Square-in-Square or Economy Patch
Little Brittain Twp. Lanc. Co until 1915, then West Grove, Chester County
Made by Addie (Ada) S. Lamborn (4-29-1875 to 1-30-1926)
Provenance
Addie S. Lamborn made this quilt for her grandnephew Howard Michener Long (b. circa 1922). Although made by Addie, quilt was apparently given as a gift by her sister Alice C. Long who was Howard's grandmother. Addie had a spinal deformity and lived with her sister's family working as a dressmaker/seamstress.
Quilt of hand pieced cottons in a pattern of nine blocks with a star variant, finely quilted. Nine large blocks in centerfield, each with a large radiating 8-point star composed of diamonds, done with a calico of white polka dots on blue ground. Sashing made with narrow diamonds. Sawtooth border. Cotton batting, now in clumps. Calico binding of white stars on blue, hand sewn to front, wrapped and hand stitched to back.
Hand quilted in white. Stars have concentric circles and white corner patches have feather wreath with a pinwheel center. Smaller white triangles around stars have diamond pattern.
Several brown stains on front. Back shows areas of stains and one brownish yellow acid-burned section (when folded). At least three areas of pieced back have 1-1.5" holes or deterioration. Binding is detaching, fraying and tearing at front, 20" from corner. A seam of binding at back is separating. Cotton batting is separated and clumped from laundering.
Object ID
G.84.05.1
Place of Origin
Lancaster County
Credit
Gift of Henry J. Kauffman, Heritage Center Collection
Pieced quilt of silks, cotton batting, glazed cotton back, cut in 2 halves, made by Quaker Deborah Simmons Coates, wife of Lindley Coates (1794-1856). Has 19 horizontal bands of dress silks (many produced by Harmonist Community) in alternating triangles arranged in Birds in the Air or Flying Geese pattern using the template method. Large triangles of varying patterns alternate with large triangles with 3 smaller appliqued triangles of contrasting patterns. Colors are browns, tans, beiges, electric and royal blue, peach and green. Each quilt half has a green silk binding on the three outside edges, and tan silk on the inner vertical cut edge. Quilting patterns are clamshell, diamond, cross in a square and diagonals.
At quilt center is a cream-colored triangle with an abolitionist stamp depicting a kneeling enslaved Black male in chains over the words: "Deliver me from the oppression/ of man." This stamped triangle was cut in two when quilt was divided; image now hidden by modern binding. According to Cuesta Benberry research, this image of a kneeling enslaved person originated with the English ceramic firm of Wedgwood in the late 1700s. See items 08.242 and 42.76.11 in the collectiosn of Metropolitan Museum of Art for seals with a similar motif. The Wedgwood family were ardent abolitionists, decorating various ceramics with this image, resulting in its rapid adoption by American anti-slavery groups. Used in many forms and media over the years, it remains the logo of the still-existing Pennsylvania Abolition Society and appears on organization's official publications.
Lindley and Deborah Coates, of West Grove, Chester Co., married there on 12/16/1819 but lived near Christiana in Sadsbury Twp., Lancaster Co. They attended Sadsbury Friends Meeting House near Christiana. Ardent abolitionists, their home was what is now designated station #5 on the Underground Railway. Lindley became President of the American Anti-Slavery Society in 1840, before William Lloyd Garrison. Deborah Coates became a Hicksite Quaker minister according to historian Beverly Wilson Palmer. Hicksites were the more radical Quakers, named after leader Elias Hicks.
Provenance
Quilt passed to son Simmons (1821-1862) & wife Emeline Jackson. (Deborah Coates lived w/ widow Emeline on her Chester Co. farm (Evergreen Hall in West Grove) for many years following Simmon's 1862 death. See census records). Descent to their daughter Elizabeth Jackson Coates who married Marriott Brosius, U.S. congressman from Lancaster. The quilt was then divided between their two daughters, donor's maternal grandmother Graceanna Brosius Biddle and her sister Gertrude Coho Reinhartson. The two halves were then reunited when given to donor, Marjorie Ayars Laidman. Deborah S. Coates was donor's great great great grandmother.
Overall good condition. Two halves of quilt (with recent inside binding on cut edges) are "mounted" on cotton muslin, side-by-side. Silks show significant deterioration -- cracking, splitting and abrasion -- with some losses. Binding also has deterioration with some losses. (See 1985-86 condition report by conservator Linnea Davis.)
Documented in Quilt Harvest #448-B (records in Archives).
Object ID
G.86.05
Place of Origin
Sadsbury Twp.
Credit
Gift of Marjorie A. Laidman, Heritage Center Collection
