Voices from the Quilts

Fort Scott National Historic Site will be the site of a symposium and quilt exhibit at the 3rd biennial "Voices from the Quilts" Festival, March 23-25 from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Historically, quilting and needle craft provided a creative outlet and form of expression for women who often did not have a voice. Much can be learned from the study of the craft which enjoys renewed popularity today.

Speakers include local quilt historian Bernita Hill who will explore the role quilts and quilters played during the Civil War and how the lives of women were changed. Award winning quilter Nancy Swanwick will display some of the reproduction quilts she has made and talk about the historic textiles and stories that inspired them. Learn how 19th century quilting and fabrics evolved from Civil War sutler and researcher Jean Warren. Explore another form of needlecraft as Fort Scott NHS volunteers Rondi and Susan Anderson share their knowledge of the whats, whys, and hows of Civil War fashion.

 The public is invited to share their family quilts and stories at "Stories from the Quilts" at 2 p.m. on Friday, March 23 and Saturday, March 24. Audience members will have the opportunity to display their quilts and relate any known information about them. Jean Warren will facilitate the exchange and offer additional insight into the pattern and date of each textile.

 Six 19th century quilts will be on exhibit in the park's Grand Hall throughout the weekend. Five of the quilts are from the Fort Scott National Historic Site collection. A sixth quilt, originating from Fort Scott, is on loan from the Historic Preservation Association of Bourbon County. Visitors will have the opportunity to inspect the quilts close up to allow full appreciation of the skill and creativity of their makers.

In a nod to the ongoing power of quilts to tell a story, the traveling exhibit "Building Common Ground through the Quilts of Many Hands" will be displayed in the park's museum building. The 2010 project featured collaboration between all five National Park Service units in Kansas, local elementary schools and quilting guilds within each park community. 

Students learned about untold stories at the national park area in their communities through workshops and site visits. They then designed and fabricated quilt blocks to represent those stories. Local guilds helped students assemble them. Included in this exhibit is a quilt designed by 4th graders from Eugene Ware Elementary and assembled by the Busy Bees, a local quilting group.

Also in the museum, children will be invited to create their own quilt block using construction paper and rubber stamps at a hands-on quilting station.

To compliment the activities at the National Historic Site, the community is sponsoring a variety of other events that weekend. A Shop Hop will be held at the Scottish Rite Building at 110 S. Main. Vendors will be onsite for shopping and demonstrations. Visitors will be able to view an "Airing of the Quilts" from Dolly the Trolley as local residents and merchants display colorful quilts on their front porches and in their store windows throughout town. The Friends of Fort Scott National Historic Site and the Historic Preservation Association of Bourbon County will kick off the event with an evening reception at the Old Congregational Church, 502 S. National Avenue on Thursday, March 22. During this event local quilt historian Bernita Hill will explore in-depth the role quilts and quilters played during the Civil War and how the lives of women were changed. Refreshments will be available, donation requested.

For more information on Fort activities call 620-223-0310. Details on the Shop Hop, Trolley tours, or the evening reception can be obtained by calling the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce at 620-223-3566 or Cynthia McFarlin at 620-223-2915.  Questions on the "Airing of the Quilts" should be directed to Kate Emmett-Sweetser at [e-mail].

Fort Scott National Historic Site, managed by the National Park Service, is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Entrance to the park and symposium activities is free.

 

Schedule of Events