Rectangular velvet postage stamp quilt with emerald green silk border.
Center field filled with multicolored squares (postage stamps) with a subtle design in center of 2 large diamonds and a smaller diamond overlapping them at center of quilt. Edges of border decorated with lime green zig zag embroidery stitch; corner blocks of border have an embroidered 4-petal floral motif in lime green.
Backing is maroon silk blend with stitching showing through from front along border.
Provenance
Provenance: Passed down in family; believed to have been made by one of donor's great aunts, Elizabeth Miller Thomas or Ida Miller. Ida worked for Judge Appel and lived in Intercourse (see family info in file of sampler G05.11.1). Both these ladies were sisters of donor's paternal grandfather Ray Bair Miller (born circa 1876).
Generally good overall; border is problematic. Border at one end is completely missing except for some loose threads and white linen fabric exposed beneath.
Object ID
G.06.11.01
Place of Origin
Lancaster County
Credit
Gift of Annette W. Miller, Heritage Center Collection
Quilt, Joseph's Coat pattern, made by donor's great grandmother Susannah Lefever Eshleman.
Center field is thin bars using seven colors repeating in the same sequence five times across the width. Colors are purple, black, blue, green, yellow, cheddar, red. Border all four sides is diagonal stripes of the same sequence of colors. Unknown batting. Back is a print of many naturalistic & geometric motifs of teal, pink and cream, all on a ground of navy blue.
Hand-quilted using four motifs: every other bar/stripe has cable which alternates with chevron, zig zag and diaper.
Provenance
Donor's great grandmother Susan L. Eshleman lived on a farm in what is now School Lane Hills. As a girl, she had been raised east of Lancaster (perhaps Fertility) and the Lefevers attended Mellinger Mennonite Church. She then married Hiram/Henry Eshleman and joined his church, Longenecker Reformed Mennonite.
Tulip block quilt of cottons. Blocks are set on point with tulip blocks arranged in 4 columns of 5, alternating with plain white blocks.Tulip design has 3 blooms with 4 petals each. Blooms are a red floral print and stems w/ leaves are a green abstract print.Tulip blocks pieced in 7 patches and stem w/ leaves are applique. White borders are 4.75" wide except for 9.5" bottom. Back is white and wraps edges toward front to form narrow binding. Cotton batting separated.
Cumberland County, likely Shippensburg area
Hand quilted with white thread following still-visible pencil lines. Outer borders have an undulating feather interspersed with an 8-petal flower. The tulip blocks have horizontal parallel lines and the white blocks have a feather wreath. All quilting has double lines.
See Provenance & Notes.
Provenance
Letter of 6/5/1948, in file, from donor's great aunt Nannie (Nancy) Foreman Spangler, states the tulip patches were made by donor's great great great Grandmother Culp, being "at least 150 years old" and that she (Nannie) "had them quilted about sixty years ago" (c.1890?). Trish Herr believes the prints used in the tulip blocks are circa 1840s, confirming the story.
Thus, patches were made by the mother of Mary Culp Atherton (1812-1849), she passed to Mary, then to her daughter Ann Margaret Atherton Foreman (1840-1925) to daughter Nannie Foreman Spangler (1859-1951) who had quilt assembled, to grand niece & donor Margaret Wagner Aungst (1918- 2012).
Generally good with some brown scattered stains and a large stained area at middle of left edge. Apparently rarely washed due to still very visible pencil lines. Many seams in piecing are separating. Backing has acid burn on fold lines and section that was folded and likely touching wood of blanket chest.
Object ID
G.08.03.03
Notes
Nancy Foreman was the maternal aunt of donor's father, Marshall Wagner. Printout of digital photo taken by Trish of the Foreman sisters is in this file. Aunt Nannie Foreman Spangler is positioned at two o'clock. They were raised in Shippensburg where their father James K. Foreman was Sheriff. Nannie married Henry Spangler & lived in Phila. where Henry was a professor at U. of Penn. They had one child, also Henry.
Donor states the Culp gr gr gr grandmother who pieced the quilt patches is unknown at present, altho she believes descent went from a great great great grandmother Culp to an Atherton to the Foreman family. (Correct - wrz). Donor may have records or photos in storage, but unlikely to discover soon. (Deceased 2012)
Place of Origin
Cumberland County, Pennsylvania
Credit
Gift of Margaret C. Aungst, Heritage Center Collection
Log cabin quilt made of plain- and twill-weave wools. Quilt top composed of 156 log cabin blocks, 12 across and 13 down. Each block ( 6 1/2" square) is composed of 3/4"-wide logs with a central square of orange-red surrounded by brown and blue strips with the colors separated diagonally. Blocks are arranged in a Barn Raising pattern of concentric diamonds of blue and brown.
Three blue fabrics (2 twill & 1 plain) and two brown fabrics used. Brown twill is used through center areas and darker plain-weave brown in periphery. One corner block strongly varies by substituting a sheer camel brown instead of the darker browns, creating an anomaly. (Donor states this indicates a Quaker quilt).
The 0.25"-wide blue binding uses two wool fabrics, a coarse knit on three sides and a twill on the 4th side. Wool backing is a small-scale geometric print of browns.
Numerous small areas of stain, soil and holes. Some holes are large, e.g. 1.25" x .375", likely moth damage. Some of these holes are in the brown twill w/ lighter, heavier weft destroyed leaving the thin, darker warp threads).
Object ID
G.08.17.03
Place of Origin
Pennsylvania
Credit
Gift of Joanna S. Rose, Heritage Center Collection
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.
Cotton quilt with Bear's Paw pattern in pink and green prints. Twenty-five 9 1/2" blocks, straight set 5x5, with 2 1/2" sashing and 7" border. Blocks are red and white striped print ground, with four green floral print bear "paws" and one small center square also in green print. Sashing and borders are a pink print.
Batting is thin cotton. Backing is solid pink cotton. Binding is backing brought forward, 1/4" wide.
Quilting is diamond grid pattern on the blocks, and parallel lines on sashing and borders.
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 (1845-1911) 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.
All cotton album quilt of 30 blocks of 12" x 12", each with a different papercut applique done in solid red and green with minor use of a mustard yellow floral print (possibly one of the chrome yellow small-scaled prints used in the 1830-1860 period.( See p. 66 of "Dating Fabrics" by E. J. Trestain.) Most appliques are floral or snowflake designs, but one stands apart, a pair of hands with a pair of scissors.
Surrounding blocks is a 7" wide pieced strip/border of white cotton, decorated with scallop-edged crescent appliques of alternating red and green.
Imaginative quilting includes hearts, cable, floral and foliate motifs. Outer border has parallel slanted lines. Batting is minimal with only tiny clumps remaining.
Attributed to George Evans Howett (31 Dec 1841 - 8 May 1864??) & mother Ann Howett. See Provenance and Notes.
Gatchellville, Fawn Twp.,York Co., Pennsylvania or Pylesville, Harford Co., Maryland
Provenance
Reported provenance of quilt: Howett family to Wright family operating a store in Gatchellville, York Co. Then to the Wright daughter who relocated to Christiana and sold it to Teressa Phillippy Brinton (1893-2002) of Christiana. Teressa wrote down the story and passed quilt and story on to donor, her granddaughter. (See NOTES).
Significant overall fading and wear, esp. evident in red fabric binding and appliques. Minor losses and small holes in binding. More significant holes in red appliques, esp. large hole (1-1.5") in one red scalloped crescent.
Overall light staining; significant dark stain on white outer border near one corner (3" x 0.25") and one small dark stain within centerfield.
Object ID
G.11.03.01
Notes
Written account passed to donor from her step-grandmother Teressa P. Brinton, states that a Civil War soldier, George E. Howett, returned from the war badly wounded to his parents' home (John and Ann Howett). To pass the time until death took him, he cut out quilt patches which his mother Ann Howett appliqued to a white ground to make an album pattern quilt top. Later, since the family needed money to settle an account at the local store, the quilt top was offered in part payment. The store operated by Mr. Wright, was located in Gatchellville, York County, PA (about 9 miles from McCall's Ferry). Mrs. Wright, the wife of the store owner, then had the top made into a quilt for $2.00.
The Wright's daughter Mary eventually moved to Christiana along with the quilt, where she sold it to Teressa Phillippy Brinton, 2nd wife of Maurice Jackson Brinton of Christiana. He was the grandfather of donor. Teressa Brinton (5 Nov 1893 - 13 May 2002) passed quilt on to granddaughter Esther H.M. Power, who then donated quilt along with the story as recorded by her step grandmother.
Copies of military documents given by donor appear to contradict George's return from battle to die at home. The repeated statement is that Howett died May 8,1864, "of wounds rec'd on the battlefield" at Spottsylvania, VA. Does "killed" mean mortally wounded but not yet deceased?
After George's birth in Drumore Twp., the family lived near Pylesville, Harford Co., VA. By 1870 census they were living in Gatchellville, Fawn Twp., York Co. All three locations are in close proximity. Other Howett relatives were living in Fawn Twp.
Credit
Gift of Esther H.M. Power, Heritage Center Collection
All-cotton quilt with four-block appliqued princess feather design on an orange (cheddar cheese color) ground. Center of quilt has a star variation that is also used as the center of each of the four princess feather designs. Each of 4 blocks has alternating feathers of blue and dark rust that radiate out from star. An inner sawtooth border is made of triangles of the same blue and dark rust. Outer border of cheddar is mitered. Quilt corners are rounded. Binding is the same dark rust. Backing is a cotton floral print of red and white flowers on a brown ground. No batting.
Hand quilted in white: Outer border has a bold cable design of ten strands. Center field is a diamond pattern and the feathers are outlined and have a double line quill in center.
The bold colors, particularly the cheddar cheese color, are typical of northern Lancaster County. This quilt is reported to be from the Ephrata area.
Provenance
Ex-collection Mr. and Mrs. David Cunningham and ex-collection Richard Flanders Smith. Purchased by vendor and sold to Heritage Center.
Unusual Center Square Amish quilt made by Jacobena Stoltzfus (later Mrs. John B. Smucker, Jr., b. 7/22/1859 d. 7/11). Burgandy wool inner border is pieced into an overall ground of gray wool twill. Unusual corner block design of burgandy wool squares appliqued to suggest a 9-patch design. Binding is maroon twill wool, machine stitched to front, wrapped and hand stitched to back; folded/tucked at corners. Backing is a woven pattern of tan cotton flecked with blue and black.
Hand quilted with white thread (extremely uncommon). Grapevines in outer border except for corners that have disconnected floral elements: a rose bloom, two rose buds and 3 branches of leaves, with each leaf decorated with an unusual zig zag line. Inner border has thin pumpkin seed flowers within repeating chevrons. Scallops on all edges of inner border and outer gray border. Centerfield has diagonal grid with blocks of floral design. Half-blocks at periphery have attenuated floral design custom made to fit. Granddaughter Bena Lapp Beiler says maker designed & drew her own quilt motifs.
Quilt made by Jacobena Stoltzfus before becoming the second wife of John B. Smucker, Jr. in 1896 at age 37. (Fisher book # A60 and A107)
Provenance
Maker to only child Elizabeth E. Smucker Lapp, circa 1929; then to her daughter Bena Lapp Beiler of New Holland circa 1942, who sold it to dealer Emma Witmer in the summer of 1988 due to need for funds to buy a house as well as fear of theft. Emma Witmer then sold to Museum.
Sampler quilt top of 20 pieced and appliqued blocks, each a different pattern. Made of solid and printed cotton fabrics, both hand and machine stitched. Sawtooth border at two opposite sides. Used by Anna (Susanna) Brubaker to illustrate patterns.
Donor says her grandmother, Mary Brubaker Rickert (daughter of maker) called it her "pattern book." Documented in Quilt Harvest (# 21E). See NOTES.
Hammer Creek area of Elizabeth Twp., Lancaster Co.
Provenance
Passed from maker to daughter Mary Brubaker Rickert (donor's grandmother) to Cora Rickert Zartman (donor's paternal aunt), then to donor.
Soiled, including liquid stains; tears and deteriorating fabrics.
Object ID
G.91.08.2
Notes
Different names used for the maker of this quilt top: Susanna, Susan, Anna and Kitty. They are all variations of her birth name of Susanna Bear, daughter of John and Anna (Frantz) Bear.
1. Most of the notes in file state ANNA Brubaker. Informant is of course donor.
2. Four-generation chart in file states KITTY HACKMAN Brubaker. (2nd marriage for both John Brubaker and Kitty Hackman and Mary Brubaker was indeed their daughter). Informant is again of course the donor.
3. Death certificate for maker's daughter (Mary Brubaker Rickert) states her mother's name was SUSSANNA(sic) Bear. Informant was Cora Rickert Zartman, Mary's daughter.
4. Findagrave.com for David Hackman (1801-1831) states "His wife was SUSANNA Bear, daughter of John and Anna (Frantz) Bear. After Hackman's death, she married John Brubaker".
Place of Origin
Elizabeth Twp.
Role
Quiltmaker
Credit
In memory of Mary Brubaker Rickert by her granddaughter Herma Rickert Losensky, Heritage Center Collection
