Important Early Quilt at 1812 ½ Show in Sackets Harbor September 29-30

The Pickering-Beach Historical Museum of Sackets Harbor, NY, will exhibit the 1859 quilt it has been given at the Great Lakes Seaway Trail 1812 ½ Quilt Show in Sackets Harbor, NY, September 29 and 30.

The quilt, discovered in a box of old packing blankets purchased at a rummage sale in Sackets Harbor 10 years ago, has been professionally appraised and authenticated.
 

Historian Jeannie Brennan and Sackets Harbor Battlefield State Historic Site Manager Connie Barone are currently researching the names, such as Westcott, Phillips and Hammond, that are sewn in tiny stitches in red silk thread into the album-style quilt. 

The Great Lakes Seaway Trail 1812 ½ Quilt Show at the Seaway Trail Discovery Center features the international traveling exhibit of 26 1812-style quilts, new Great Lakes Seaway Trail “Storyteller” interpretive panels about the War of 1812, and new works by American and Canadian quilters using patterns, colors and fabrics true to the 1812 time period.

Show hours are 10am-5 pm Saturday and Sunday. The $5 admission is good for both days For more information, go online to www.seawaytrail.com/quilting <http://www.seawaytrail.com/quilting> or call Lynette at 315-646-1000 x203.

More Information:
The Pickering-Beach Historical Museum consists of the circa 1809 Pickering Cottage and the circa 1817 Pickering-Beach House literally just a few steps from the Sackets Harbor Battlefield State Historic Site in Sackets Harbor, NY.

A local legend says the cottage may have been used as a War of 1812 “hospital.”  The house was first built by Massachusetts native Joshua Pickering and rebuilt in the 1830-40s, probably by his son and Great Lakes Captain August A. Pickering.

The properties are today managed by the Pickering-Beach Committee of the Sackets Harbor Area Cultural Preservation Foundation.  

New American Girl Doll is from 1812 and Lives in Sackets Harbor!

American Girl debuted their newest historical doll earlier this week. Blonde, blue eyed Caroline Abbott hails from 1812.   Living in Sackets Harbor, NY Caroline witnesses first hand the events of the ‘War of 1812.′ The war was fought on land and sea all along the Great Lakes Seaway Trail from Erie PA to Northern New York State and the St. Lawrence River. The war lasted until 1815.

According to the American Girl website: “As the War of 1812 begins, so does the story of Caroline Abbott’s bravery. She loves sailing with her father, but when he’s captured, Caroline must help keep the family’s shipyard running. When she sees a chance to rescue her father, Caroline discovers that she must use her mind and heart to guide her decisions.”

I’m a huge American Girl fan and the best part of every American Girl doll in my mind is always the story behind the girl.

Like other American Girl historical dolls, Caroline stars in a series of five books: Meet Caroline, Caroline’s Secret Message, A Surprise for Caroline, Caroline Takes a Chance, Caroline’s Battle, and Changes for Caroline.

Find out more about this historical doll and all the books that tell her story at: http://store.americangirl.com/agshop/static/carolinedoll.jsp

What do you think of 1812 Caroline? Are you planning on giving her as a gift or purchasing her for yourself?

Share your thoughts!

World Quilt Show New England - August 16 -19

On August 16 -19 the Great Lakes Seaway Trail War of 1812 Bicentennial Quilts Traveling and Educational Exhibit will be at World Quilt Show New England in Manchester, New Hampshire. 

The 30-piece exhibit includes 26 quilts made in 1812-true style by McCarthy, other quilters, quilt guilds and historical societies in three Canadian provinces and 11 U.S. states.  New Hampshire resident Martha McCarthy is among the quilters whose work was selected for the international traveling exhibit.

Much of the war was fought in the freshwater shoreline region that is now recognized as the 518-mile Great Lakes Seaway Trail National Scenic Byway in New York and Pennsylvania. McCarthy, who grew up in Buffalo, NY, on the byway, now lives in Londonderry,  just 12 miles from Manchester, NH.

“The War of 1812 was emphasized in our school history classes and we were familiar with the (Buffalo) area attacked by the British. Through the Great Lakes Seaway Trail 1812 quilt challenge I could be involved in commemorating the war even though I now live in New Hampshire,” McCarthy says. 

McCarthy’s quilt titled “For Thomas” is made in the unique “cot-to-coffin” size,
30 inches wide and 70 inches tall, meant to cover a sleeping
or deceased soldier, sailor or militiaman. 

 “I was thrilled to have my quilt selected for the traveling exhibit and it’s an honor to have it displayed at such a highly-rated show as the World Quilt Show in Manchester,” McCarthy says.

Great Lakes Seaway Trail “Storyteller” cards displayed with each quilt share true facts about the quiltmaker’s family history; others are creative imaginations about a woman sending her man off to war with a quilt made of scraps of fabric from her apron, his son’s coat, his mother’s dress, etc.

Quilt Show Hits the Road - Off to World Quilt Show New England

The Great Lakes Seaway Trail War of 1812 Bicentennial Quilts Traveling and Educational Exhibit is on the road to the World Quilt Show New England in Manchester, New Hampshire August 16-19, 2012.

The exhibit includes 26 quilts made in 1812-true style plus educational interpretive panels, designed by artist Bob McNamara, which depict various aspects of the war, including the civilian effort.

The Great Lakes Seaway Trail War of 1812 Bicentennial exhibit will travel from now through 1814 in recognition of the War’s Bicentennial. It has already visited historic sites in Canada, including Upper Canada Village, and Fort Wellington in Prescott, Ontario.

The traveling exhibit is supported by a grant from the New York Council on the Humanities.

1812 ½ - War of 1812 Quilt Challenge – Part Two?

• Did you have so much fun making your quilt for the Great Lakes Seaway Trail War of 1812 Quilt Challenge that you’d like to do it again? 

• Perhaps you didn’t quite get your 1812 quilt finished in time for the show, maybe you only had the top pieced by the show date?

• Maybe you bought your fabric and had incredible plans for an 1812 quilt - but life got in the way and you couldn’t even start your quilt

Well, we can fix all those problems!  Of course, you have to do the work.

Due to the incredible popularity of our Traveling Exhibit of the War of 1812 quilts we have decided to do it again!  We are planning to have an “1812 ½ Quilt Show" this September!

Mary with the Markham Quilt Guild enjoyed the 1812 Quilt Challenge!

On September 29 and 30 (the official New York State day of Commemoration for the War of 1812) we are going to hang the 26 quilts and the story panels from the traveling exhibit here in Sackets Harbor for one more viewing! 

If you would like to enter another 1812 quilt or finish up the one you started (or even just enter your quilt top is that’s all you had time to do) we would be proud to hang it for this special show.

Enter a quilt or just come to view the 26 winners. 

Plus, we have been in touch with some of our wonderful long term vendors and they are excited about coming back this fall so you could even just come to shop!

We still plan to have our big annual quilt show March 16 and 17 next year with the “Beauty of the Byways” theme but we thought it would be fun to get together again this fall.

Send me an email (lynette@seawaytrail.com) or give me a phone call (315-646-1000 ext. 203) let me know what you think and we can talk about the details.

The Underhill Tree of Life Quilt Story Continues

From a letter from Jill Meszaros dated June 12, 2012:

Yesterday, the Underhill Tree of Life quilt had one more piece of its story written. 

As you know, I created my Underhill Wholecloth Quilt to honor my Underhill ancestors.  I wanted to update you on my Underhill family. 

My grandfather, Donald Underhill, at the age of 99 and 10 months, died yesterday at 12:35 pm.  His only living sibling, Aunt Mary Lou, age 86 and 10 months died yesterday at 8:20 am. 

They were both very proud of their family heritage and it was in his books that I found a great deal of the family history I used in my quilt's story.  He loved history, especially his family’s. 

My quilt was really for him more than anyone else.  This is not a sad story....99 years is something to celebrate - especially since he died peacefully, at home with family, simply from old age. 

Major David Underhill would have been my grandfather's (Donald Underhill) Great-Great-Grandfather.  Aunt Mary Lou was still living on a piece of David's original homestead.  She will rest in Norwalk, Ohio with many other Underhills that came before her.

I just wanted to share this piece of my quilts continuing story with you.

                   Jill Meszaros

You can see this incredible quilt up close when you view the Seaway Trail War of 1812 Traveling Exhibit which is on the road for the next two years.

Not Much Actually Happened DURING 1812

If you put the name of the War of 1812 aside, not much actually happened during 1812.

1 - Most of the fighting took place in 1813.

2 - The peace treaty was ratified in 1814.

3 - The deciding battle was fought in 1815.

So, be prepared to stretch this War of 1812 Bicentennial Commemoration out for a while. 

That means you still have lots of time to borrow the Seaway Trail War of 1812 traveling quilt exhibit if you have a suitable venue that would be interested in the display.

Last weekend the exhibit was hung in the Anglican Christ Church - on site at Upper Canada Village.  The exhibit has now traveled to Fort Wellington in Prescott where it will be on display June 29 thru July 1. 

Send me an email if your interested in borrowing it and we will look at the travel schedule.