McDowell Quilt Trail

By Jill Lucas

In December 2009, Marsha McElroy came to McDowell County to attend the Appalachian Potter’s Market with her sister, Debbie Mullis.  Debbie had just recently moved to Gateway Mountain in Old Fort and invited her sister to join her for the day.  Marsha is a lifelong resident of northern Mecklenburg County in a community known as Long Creek.  By chance Jill Lucas was working at the market and recognized Marsha’s voice and turned to see her.  Jill and Marsha were childhood friends who went through school together.

Since that day, Marsha has made numerous trips to McDowell County to spend time with her sister and she and Jill have stayed connected.  Marsha began to notice all the quilt blocks around the county and was even more surprised to learn that the Lucas’s were part of the McDowell County Quilt Trail.  Marsha fell in love with the blocks and whenshe and her husband decided a workshop needed to be built on their property in Long Creek, she immediately knew she wanted a quilt block. 

Marsha had made a Bear Paw quilt and knew that would be the block pattern she wanted.  On October 26, 2012, the 124^th block, “The Bear Paw”, was installed on the McElroy’s workshop.  Marsha and her husband, Bill, could not have been more excited to be part of the McDowell Quilt Trail and enjoy the reconnection of two old friends.   If you are ever in the northern Mecklenburg County, check out 9547 Pembroke Road, Huntersville, NC and see a little piece of McDowell County or visit http://www.mcdowellquilttrail.org.

By Ginger Todd                     

 
Block #6 in the McDowell Rural Heritage Quilt Trail adopts its name from Ecclesiastes 3:1 of the King James Version of the Bible.  The 8’ X 8’ block was installed September 22, 2012 (the first day of Fall) on an old barn located in the Glenwood community on the left side of Highway  221 South just past Goose Creek Road.  The structure is owned by Charles and Emma Jean England, who reside just across the road.

The barn was originally built by Norris England, father of Charles, in 1945 on acreage that once belonged to what was known as the Westmoreland Farm over 100 years ago.    It served as shelter for three Belgian harness horses used in hauling downed trees to saw mills throughout the area. It also housed logging equipment and saw mill machinery used in the lumber yard.  In later years it became storage for a tractor and other business equipment of England Builders, Inc.

The old home place sits behind where the barn is now located and Charles remembers his Dad believed in “hard work” evidenced by a lengthy rock wall built in front.  Charles recalls that as a young boy he hand carried stones after school from Vein Mountain Quarry, to lay the rock for the wall, which remains still sturdy and now covered with scuppernong grapes.

An interesting feature of this barn, constructed of oak, is that it once sat in the very center of the proposed new highway through the area.  During the mid-1950’s Highway 221 was rerouted, taking property from both sides of the existing road.  The result was that in order to save the barn it was jacked up, moved and relocated to its present site.

Charles grew up on the farm and had his roots in the building business.  He worked at a ship yard in Newport News, Virginia where he lived for 15 years.  It was there he met his wife, Emma Jean and eventually moved back to McDowell County in 1974.  Having attended Western Carolina University he then started up his own business, England Builders, Inc., based on high quality work and materials with the importance of politeness and finesse in dealing with people emphasized.  Although now retired, he still shares his knowledge and suggestions with son Grayson now running the company. 

Charles states that a significant factor in the company’s success is “having the gift of visualizing structural layout on the land to be utilized, that others can’t always see”.  England Builders is especially recognized as the designer and builder of Tom Johnson’s Camping Center including later remodeling and additions.  In addition they are widely recognized for their construction of residential homes, renovations and commercial buildings. Their reputation is addressed on Quilt Block #84 of the McDowell Trail previously hung on the office building named “Quality Built on Detail”. 

“To Every Thing There is a Season” is a variation of the time-honored traditional Tall Pine Tree quilt pattern.  The block sits on the diagonal and the pine tree image is situated in the middle.  The red clay of our earth is depicted at the bottom, then the lush green of our mountains and the bright red, yellow and orange of fall colors in the upper background.  A Certificate of Authenticity was presented to the Englands on the morning of October 19^th by Quilt Trail Chairwoman Jill Lucas.

Mike Lucas, artist of the block, had help in painting it from volunteer Jan Zimmerman.  Pam Caldemeyer of Mills River who was interested in how the McDowell Quilt Trail program works also took part.  Ms. Caldemeyer and a friend Stan Drucker attended the installation and took the opportunity to have Mr. Drucker’s 1930 pick-up truck photographed with the old barn, looking quite time-frame appropriate.  Volunteer Alan Scholl also aided in the placement of the large block on the side of the barn.

The Rural Heritage Quilt Trail is about honoring the heritage of our area and preserving our history through older landmark barns and structures.  It is a part of the McDowell Quilt Trail which has raised funds to provide grants to place traditional blocks on buildings that meet the requirements and are symbols of our rural life.   In addition, both trails strive to promote tourism, improve economic development in McDowell County and create interesting stories of times past and present.

If you are interested in hosting a quilt block suitable for outdoor display contact the McDowell Arts Association at 652-8610 or online at www.mcdowellquilttrail.org.  Information on much smaller customized hand-painted interior blocks is now also available.  MACA is located at 50 South Main Street, and has updated story books on the blocks, maps and other quilt trail items available.

By Ginger Todd

The title “East Rising” is an appropriate and meaningful name for the newest block added to the McDowell Quilt Trail.  The 5.5’ X 5.5’ block was attached to the front entrance brick wall of East McDowell Jr. High on Thursday morning September 27, 2012 using a series of scaffolding tiers.  Trail volunteers Mike Lucas and Alan Scholl were provided installation assistance by the school’s maintenance personnel. 

The acreage on which the present day East McDowell Junior High School is located is rich in history dating back to the 1800’s when railroad construction was first begun from the coast to the mountains.  Delayed by the Civil War, then problems caused by weather and landslides, Marion became a regular stopping point around 1870.  Eventually tracks were completed leading to Old Fort and Asheville. 

At the time, travel by horse-drawn buggy was the only means of transportation available after arriving at the train station.   The name “stagecoach “was given these buggies as an indication  that the distances traveled between stopping places on the route to final destination was done in “stages”.   

Special Education teacher and history buff Paige Brown aided in providing some of the school’s back-ground, including that of Marion’s first hotel. There being no facility nearby the Marion train station to stay, construction was begun on what was to be a large “resort” hotel.  Located on the present day campus of East Jr. High, it was to be named The Catawba Hotel, an impressive, rather ornate and imposing building.  However the project was short-lived and due to bank failures and other governmental problems work was suspended in 1893.  The building was around two-thirds complete when the financial crash occurred and until several years later remained in semi-completion. 

In 1898 Mattie Perry, a prominent business woman, purchased the building and property for a fraction of its original cost.  Her goal was to complete the construction of the building and establish a private school and orphanage.  In 1899 Elhanan Bible Training Institute and Orphanage was opened, owned and operated by Ms. Perry.  It was home and education center to approximately 130 boys and girls ages 1-20.   

In 1914, a fire destroyed part of a dormitory and a portion of the school was phased out at that time.   It continued serving as an orphanage and school through the early 1900’s until it permanently closed in 1927.  In 1929 the abandoned school was burned down completely and most remaining adoption, placement and other records were lost.  Since that time although there were no reports of children on the premises when the fire occurred, the site and grounds of East Jr. High School have been implicated to be haunted or at least to be home to lost spirits.   

There are stories that continue today reporting the muffled sounds of children crying, moaning and pleading for help.  These cries are supposedly from the fire victims, even though the orphanage had been unused and deserted for well over a year prior to the final destruction.  Or, could these possibly be from the little-detailed fire of 1914??   

The tennis courts, back parking lot and auditorium are rumored to be especially subject to imperiling feelings. There are reports of a small child’s mysterious footprints on a newly mopped floor when no child was around.   When walking through the area it is rumored that one feels an eerie sensation of someone being nearby.   Sightings of shadowy figures wandering through the premises exist to this day with overtones of even other unexplained mysteries of the past connected with the vicinity. 

 Are these and other unexplained stories nonsense and meaningless suggestions of one’s imagination?  Or, do reminiscent   spirits of the past inhabitants still remain unsettled and roam the grounds? Later this month the school will present its 2^nd Annual Haunted School production to the public. Not a typical “scare you to death” event, it will be based on the ghost stories of orphans yet also relate some history of the school through “theatrical enhancements”.  It promises to be an exciting Halloween adventure of haunts, legends and tales of the unexplained phenomena blended in with historical facts.  

It wasn’t until 1955 that the present school building was built, known as Marion High, the “million dollar school”, with even the Governor attending the dedication.  Around 1972 it was consolidated and became a junior high school, presently serving around 640 students.  It rates 5 out of 5 stars from the school community based on performance and state standardized tests and is scheduled to be transformed from a junior high to a middle school next year.  

The faculty and students had a difficult time in deciding on the final pattern of the quilt block.  The upcoming transition involving grade and student changes as well as expansions and renovations to the building were considered. The mission statement of East Jr. High begins:  “to impart knowledge and skills students will need in order to become long learners and productive members of society”.   A scheme that would continue that mission and portray what the school stands for through the years was desired. The symbol of the sun, ever-rising in the east, was decided upon as a meaningful representation of continuing education. Thus, the block design “East Rising” was chosen.

A compass rose was decided on as the centerpiece, incorporating the school’s colors of orange and black, with the image of the sun rising on the eastern point.  “East Rising” provides direction to students, the compass star similar to that of a light-bulb flashing, encouraging new ideas and endeavors.  During the preparation and creation of the block, approximately 30 ninth grade art class students visited the Quilt Trail studio located at the McDowell House.  Volunteer Mike Lucas, builder and artist of the blocks, instructed the students on various aspects of computer and graphic design implemented in the construction of the blocks.  He also demonstrated techniques involved in painting and preserving the block. 

The block, #123 on the McDowell Quilt Trail, sits on the diagonal and is easily seen from 676 State Street.  The gradual variations of yellow and orange portray a sunrise and serve as the background to the eight black and white directional points of the compass.  A drive through the key-shaped parking lot provides an even closer and more detailed view.  A Certificate of

Jaimee Gibson, Cristi Shaw, Principal Charles Gaffigan and Ashley McCartha with the Certificate Of Authenticity

Quilt Block Authenticity was presented by Chairwoman Jill Lucas to Principal Charles Gaffigan and other school faculty.  

Quilt blocks are an ever- growing trend throughout the country.  If you, your business or organization  would like to personally host or gift a block and be a part in joining the history of McDowell County, contact the McDowell Arts Council Association at 652-8610.   Committee members will provide you assistance in selecting an existing design for a block or creating an original one.  You may also visit the website at www.mcdowellarts.org.  to view and download an application form .

By Ginger Todd

“Prissy’s Pepper Patch”

“Mighty Monteith Moose” and “Prissy’s Pepper Patch” blocks were recently added to the ever-growing Quilt Trail.  On August 8, 2012, two separate blocks were installed for Al and Priscilla Reel, one at their home and one on their camper at the Moose Lodge.

Al, who is Administrator of Marion Moose Lodge #1705 founded in 1953, is also the current President of the North Carolina Moose Association.  In August, he and his wife Priscilla, whom he originally met at the Moose Lodge, escorted eight young ladies on a ten day mountains-to-the-coast trip through North Carolina.  The trip emphasized the heritage of North Carolina and made many stops including Winston Salem, Charlotte, Rockingham, and Wilson to name a few.  The girls are students and residents of Mooseheart, a self-contained child city and school sponsored by Moose International.

Mooseheart is located about 40 miles west of Chicago, Illinois and is a fully contained community for children and teens in need located on over 1,000 acres.  Mooseheart will be celebrating its 100 year anniversary in July 2013, having been established in 1913.  It is not an orphanage, but home to those children underprivileged or experiencing parental loss for one reason or another.  The student residences, once a barrack style, now include spaces as nice as any private household, each having home care manager ”house parents” who see to it that things are run on a regular and normal family basis.

The philosophy of Mooseheart is “every child is entitled to a basic high school education and a trade counseling service” and a vast component of the children’s education is centered on vocational programs.  Those programs include carpentry, agriculture, barbering, sewing, cooking, electronics, photography and sports among many other electives.  A full gym and sports stadium, 4-H program, swimming pool, medical facility and place of worship are all incorporated in the Mooseheart city.

In 1997 the Marion Moose Lodge, along with others in North Carolina, became the sponsors of its own beautiful home within the city and lodges teenage girls.  A program encouraging Moose associations throughout the states to raise funds to purchase vans for each campus home was begun several years back.  The program resulted in van purchases so “the families” could run errands and outings just like a conventional home.  The van that the Reels used to tour our State in with the girls hosted from the North Carolina home is the product of that campaign.  For the last eight years the Reels have spear-headed the trips, sponsored by the Marion Lodge.  The van is then driven back to Mooseheart for daily use, where the vehicles are maintained through the automotive mechanics vocational program on campus.

The Loyal Order of the Moose, first founded in 1888, is a non-sectarian, tax-free non-profit and non-political fraternal organization dedicated to the service of others.  Lodges are located throughout the United States as well as Canada, Great Britain and Bermuda.  The Women of the Moose are a large part of the Lodges and Chapters and help provide millions of dollars worth of community service through monetary donations and volunteer hours annually.

Our local Moose Family Center sponsors and participates in countless community service capacities and activities.  These include the Special Day for individuals and members of their families with games and food, the Polar Plunge, Lake James Clean-up, Red Cross Blood Drives, Christmas Moose Tree and food boxes and the Day of Honor to our Veterans, to name just a few.

The Reels first became interested in hosting a block when they visited the Quilt Block Trail booth at the Mountain Glory Festival last year.   They brought home an application and decided to join the Trail with not one, but two blocks.   Mighty Monteith Moose, #121, is 3’ X 3’ and is located at 99 Horseshoe Loop at the Moose Lodge.  It depicts the head and full rack of a moose, with the lake, mountains and colorful skyline in the background.  The name of the block is in memory of the Reel’s friend, Marie Monteith, a very active member of the Moose Lodge on both our local and state levels, who passed away several years ago.

Block #120, “Prissy’s Pepper Patch was installed on the home of the Reel’s at 287 Oak Hill Drive.   The 4’ X 4’ block is quite colorful and eye-catching, the center incorporating three chili peppers in yellow, red and green.  The heat of the peppers is emphasized with its southwestern zigzag borders of bright yellow, orange and crimson.   Priscilla notes that the name “Prissy” was once a knick-name given her at work and just seemed to fit the name for the block.

Priscilla’s unexplained fascination with chili peppers is evidenced by her massive collection of any and all types of pepper paraphernalia.  For the past twenty years she has collected figurines, ornaments and anything imaginable that includes a pepper.  Throughout their travels the family is constantly on the lookout for anything with a chili pepper design that can add to her hobby’s display.  Priscilla’s household is a virtual museum to a variety of chili decorations including (but not limited to) cookie jar, salt & pepper shakers, candles, Mardi-Gras beads, lights, towels, t-shirts, bandannas, Christmas ornaments and  spoon rests.  She proudly exhibits an especially relevant one with a moose on a pepper!

The blocks were installed by volunteer Mike Lucas and the Reels were presented with a Certificate of Authenticity for each of the blocks by Chairwoman Jill Lucas.  For more information on the McDowell Quilt Trail and to host a block or present a memorable gift, visit www.mcdowellqulttrail.org or call the McDowell Arts Council Association at 652-8610.  Look around town for the display of a 4’ x 6’ sampler quilt being raffled, pieced and quilted by members of the local Quilters Guild.    The drawing will take place at the upcoming Mountain Glory Festival on Saturday, October 13^{, 2012}.

By Ginger Todd

Clear Creek Road in the Pleasant Gardens community has a bright new attraction with the placement of quilt block H-5 on the barn of David R. and Jessie Revis Bartlett.  The Bartletts named the block “Family Memories”, and indeed it represents heritage stories from the families of both David and Jessie.

David, now retired from the U.S. Navy as Senior Chief of Personnel, first met Jessie at the Catawba Grill once located at the head of Hankins Road and 221 North, a well-known drive-in restaurant hangout for high school teens at the time.  Jessie’s home was in West Marion, the Sugar Hill area, and after 53 years of marriage David still jokes “I found my thrill on Sugar Hill” a pun on a song of the past.

David’s great- great- grandfather, John Hamilton Bartlett was a charter member of Clear Creek Baptist Church in 1890, now the present Pleasant Gardens Baptist Church.  His father Alvin R. Bartlett, was raised just ½ mile up the road from the present home site.  Upon the marriage of Alvin and David’s mother Maude, the couple moved down the road to where David was raised.  A new home was built across the way in the 1960’s, the old barn remaining nearby, eventually inherited by David and Jessie.  David relates that his father’s idea of good living was “teach hard work, love and ethics”, and he was known as “tight” in that he wasted nothing.  It was said that when slaughtering pigs: “he saved everything but the squeal”.   On the other hand he was remembered as “a gentleman farmer and a skilled wheeler dealer” in his trading of trucks, guns, cattle and occasionally liquor”.

David describes the barn as being built “between 1949 and 1951, constructed with rough cut pine, oak and locust lumber.   It is supported with concrete blocks, cross ties and utility poles, has a tin roof and has never been painted.”   David along with his father, mother and men in the community, helped with the construction, including block mason Herman Revis, Jessie’s uncle.

In 1957 David graduated from Pleasant Gardens High School, then still housing grades K-12.  In more recent years he aided John Roach in the return of the original school bell to its rightful place on campus.  He recalls being raised on corn, bread, potatoes and meat from the farm where they grew their own hay and made their own animal feed from crushed corn, soybeans and cotton seed meal.  Cattle were dehorned, castrated and livestock vaccinated against disease in the barn.  Dogs were dipped in used motor oil as cure and prevention against fleas, ticks and mange.

The Bartletts slaughtered, dressed and cured their own meat and the barn served as home to a variety of animals including horses, mules, hogs, milk cows, beef cattle and chickens.  David was paid one dollar to learn to milk the cows, then informed he was to milk them in order to “earn his keep”, thereafter arising around   4:30 A.M. each morning to do so.  They used the milk for their own use as well as selling it locally, sometimes receiving remarks about the flavor when the cows had consumed wild onions.  Relics of a butter churn and print and the original blue pitcher served at the table adorn the household along with other items reminiscent of days gone by.

There were specific chores for rainy days such as shucking and shelling corn in the loft of the barn  and on sunny days, pulling weeds or heading up in the “hollers” with toe sacks to gather leaves for stall bedding. When it was time to spread the manure on the fields, David recalls complaints from the neighbors regarding the flies and odor.

Jessie relates she had considered a block for the barn every time she noticed a new one go up around the county. She came in contact with Mike and Jill Lucas of the McDowell Quilt Trail Association who believed the barn would be an asset to the Heritage Block Trail.  She decided on a pattern from a block square in an original quilt that her grandma Lockie Hunter Revis had made.   Although Jessie does not quilt herself, she remembers the quilt rack hanging from the ceiling of her grandma’s house in the Sugar Hill area.  Her grandma would sit level with the lower part of the rack quilting row by row.  As each row was finished the quilt would be rolled up to the next, then at the end of the day rolled up completely out of the way.

The star-patterned quilt was given to Jessie’s mama Hattie Tipton Revis and then handed down to Jessie.  The quilt remains in excellent condition and is beautifully hand-stitched, each block with an eight point star in the middle. The original quilt has varied colors and Jessie chose the eye-catching red star for the barn block.  She attended Pleasant Gardens High School and fondly remembers her mama telling her that the “P.G.” stood for “pretty girls” and that she had been allowed to ring the school bell in the 1930’s, as children  often did for special occasions.

Memories run deep of David and Jessie’s children and grandchildren playing hide and seek, cowboys and Indians, petting animals and watching storms from the old barn through the years.  It now serves as home to stray cats, nesting doves, ground hogs and an occasional raccoon or possum. “Family Memories” is a 5.5’ X 5.5 quilt block, the center star in shades of red accented with a white background.  It was installed Wednesday, August 22^{, 2012} by volunteer Mike Lucas and may easily be viewed at 91 Clear Creek Road.  The Bartletts proudly accepted a Heritage Trail Certificate of Authenticity from Quilt Trail Chairwoman Jill Lucas.

For information on hosting a McDowell Quilt Trail or Heritage Trail block visit www.mcdowellquilttrail.org or contact the McDowell Arts Council Association at 652-8610.  With over 125 quilt blocks currently in place, many stories have been told and local history preserved.  You are invited to follow the meandering trail of brightly colored patterns throughout our county.

Pleasant Gardens School became the host of Block #122 on the McDowell Quilt Trail on Thursday, August 16, 2012, adding colorful excitement to students and teachers returning on the 27^th to begin the new school year.  The school of approximately 425 students, K-6^th grade, has titled the block “Ringing Today for the Success of our Children Tomorrow”. 

What began in 1908 as a one-room class in a log home near the present location grew through the years, enlarged in 1911 and then in 1926 a new building was erected.  The combined elementary and high school became a part of the Pleasant Gardens school district with consolidation of several other area districts.  The campus originally consisted of 13 acres, a part of the estate of the founder of McDowell County, Joseph McDowell.  In 1927 the first graduating class of five students was honored with a cook-out and in 1934 the first P.T.A. was organized. In 1938 a new wing was added to include four more classrooms to accommodate the rapid growth in student population. 

The first school Annual (yearbook) was published in 1948 entitled “Tahoma”.   The first lunchroom served mainly soup and hot chocolate however, in 1950 a new lunchroom was opened serving up to 400 children daily.  A large bell was situated outside the school building, which was rung once as a warning to students on the playground to return to class, and a second time for them to actually be seated in the classroom.  Its peals were often heard as a means of announcement for a function, special occasion or celebration. 

Through the years, as the old school building underwent considerable renovation (and more recently, eventual replacement done in stages) the bell had been removed several times from the campus as a prank, possibly by graduating seniors or school rivals.  It had always reappeared or was found, (sometimes in the river) and returned to its traditional position on school grounds.  That was until its disappearance in 1971 when it vanished for over 30 years.  

In 2005 Principal Joe McMinn contacted Mr. John Roach, long respected for his dedicated service in the education field, and requested his aid in recovering the original bell.   Mr. Roach was principal of the school from 1958 until 1971 (the year the bell disappeared) and was anxious to help “get the ball rolling” in order to find the long-lost bell. 

With the help and investigations of several others who were avid about returning the bell to their Alma Mater and its rightful home after all those years, the bell was located.  It had been gifted to  Sunnyvale Baptist Church on N.C. Highway 80, where evidently nothing was known about its past. 

After more than three decades the beloved bell was finally reinstated to PG School.  The exterior had been painted black, but the bell was identified by a vertical crack in its side.   A replacement bell was provided the church and with the help of volunteers the original PG bell was moved and refurbished by Dennis Killough and his son Scott.  They worked diligently to restore the P.G. bell to its former condition and its burnished silver color, including construction of a sturdy platform for the bell to be displayed upon. 

The 250 pound bell now sits securely on a stand just inside the school commons area, where it celebrated a homecoming on December 4, 2005 with a special first “ringing of the school bell” at the end of the ceremony. The speaker at the program was Mr. John Roach, the school’s oldest living principal and who was so instrumental in initiating the groundwork for the recovery of the bell.   The surrounding frame includes a depiction of the four white columns on the original school building and is highlighted by the school’s mascot, the Indian.  A special plaque reading “Home at Last” is a reminder of the many years it remained undiscovered. 

The school’s quilt block was funded by an employee collection account, originally designated for retirement and promotion gifts to past school personnel but which was declined by them and thus earmarked for something special.  The use of those funds ultimately provided the hosting of a McDowell County Quilt Block.   

The 3.5’ X 3.5’ wooden quilt block, installed by volunteers Mike Lucas and Jack Raker, features the school colors of gold and blue and is easily viewed centered over the front entrance of Pleasant Gardens Elementary located at 100 John Roach Drive off of Highway 70 East.   The bell is a golden hue on a maroon setting, surrounded by points of four shades of blue in a hexagon backdrop.  The block, visible from the outside, is a reminder of the historic treasure and its remarkable past, now safely stationed inside the school building, broadcasting its name “Ringing Today for the Success of Our Children Tomorrow”.  

Jill Lucas, Chairman of the Quilt Trail, presented a Certificate of Authenticity to Principal Susan Westall and other school staff.  Mrs. Helen Lancaster Roach, wife of the late renowned John Roach, was present at the installation of the block however she was unavailable for the photo.  

If you have a family, church or community story to tell and would like to immortalize it through the display of a colorful quilt block, contact the McDowell Arts Council Association at 828-652-8610 or www.mcdowellarts.org.  Volunteers will be happy to provide information and assistance in designing your original block or selecting an existing pattern.  Remember, they make excellent gifts while preserving local history!   The McDowell Quilt Trail and Rural Heritage Quilt Trail strive to preserve the heritage of our area and promote local tourism.  Raffle tickets are presently available for a sampler quilt, crafted by members of the Mountain Glory Quilter’s Guild, and to be presented at the Mountain Glory Festival on Saturday, October 13, 2012.

Certificate Of Authenticity presentation. L-R: Iris Lawing, Instruction Coach; Dawn Elliott, Bookkeeper, Jill Lucas, McDowell Quilt Trail Chairwoman; Susan Westall, Principal; and Greta Goodson, Title One Reading

By Ginger Todd

The newest quilt block on the Heritage Trail is located on a quiet wooded section off Dysartsville Road, where the American Flag waves proudly in the front yard of the old home place  and Hemi, the farm’s family dog,  offers visitors a warm and friendly welcome.

The host of Block H-4 is Romulus Jolley Duncan, who purchased the original property of 250 acres from J.W. Howell of Green Mountain, around 1955.   

Romulus served in the field artillery division during World War II throughout most of the military action.    During 1946-49 he attended Berea College in Kentucky, majoring in Agriculture.  Later, after purchasing the farm around 1955, he was employed at Burke Dairy, while his wife Genevieve served as an elementary school teacher in Dysartsville.  Duncan and his wife, Genevieve Tate Duncan, who passed away in December 1993, raised their three children on the homestead and Duncan still resides in the 100-plus year old home with his son Ronald Eugene Duncan. 

Mr. Duncan recently celebrated his 91^st birthday on July 4^th of this year and approved of his son Ronald’s idea to host a quilt block in recognition of the longevity of the farm.  Ronald came upon the idea from seeing blocks throughout the county, articles in the McDowell News and discussions with current hosts led him to make contact with the McDowell Arts Association.    

The idea of the design for the quilt block originated from a quilt that lay at the end of a rope cord, four-poster, ¾- bed in the home.   Cord beds were mainly used in rural areas, and although there were various sizes, they were usually shorter than a standard bed.  A wood bed frame would have lengths of ropes (sometimes strips of leather) stretched and latticed across it, forming a base for a mattress of some sort.   

Frequently the ropes needed to be tightened to ensure firmer support and a better nights sleep as they tended to sag in the middle, especially when the bed was first set up and the ropes new.   This chore usually fell to the older boys in the household who used a tool called a bed key.  The boys worked on opposite sides of the bed and tightened the ropes as they worked their way around the bed.  An interesting note is that the expression “sleep tight” originated from the benefits of a recently tightened rope bed.  The Duncan’s rope bed is now stored out in a barn on the property but the quilt was brought out for display and served as a pattern for the heritage block. 

The mother of Romulus, Constance Jolley Duncan, once did some reporting for the Spruce Pine newspaper Tri-County News (now Mitchell News-Journal).  She was often driven around the area by his father for her article’s material as she had no driver’s license.  Constance also authored a true historical narrative entitled:  Through Tinted Lenses, published in 1959.  It was in this book that a separate note was found among the pages indicating that the cord bed in question was made in 1830, but there was no mention of the quilt.  As is the home-site, an examination of the quilt indicates it is well over 100 years old by the quality hand stitching and placing of the pieces. 

In the 1960’s a tree farm was started and subsequently areas of the property bordering Hopper and South Muddy Creeks became a managed conservation easement in conjunction with the U.S. Forest Service to act as a buffer in preventing erosion. The Loblolly Pines (also known as the N.C. Pine or Arkansas Pine) are abundant in the area and are classified as Southern Yellow Pines, because of their yellow resinous wood.   The word loblolly means: “a low wet place”, however the trees are not limited to that habitat.   The Loblolly Pine, which is able to endure ice storms, is thinned and harvested at appropriate time frames.  It is an important commercial tree North Carolina, highly prized for its lumber as well as wood pulp used in paper making and other fibrous materials. 

The pattern on the quilt inherited by the Duncan family, left by an unknown

Heme the dog looks on as (from left) Ronald E. Duncan, Romeulus Jolley Duncan and Carol Duncan Hendricks display the quilt

seamstress, is an interpretation of the star quilt pattern.   Often referred to as the Lone Star quilt, one of the most popular since the 1800’s, it  features eight-pointed stars in the design and may remind you of looking into a kaleidoscope.  The patterns were often more time-consuming to create than other quilt patterns and reflect a rich history of craftsmanship, incorporating the quilter’s own favorite notions.  The uniqueness of the various scraps and colors used in the hand pieced and quilted patterns tell stories of the quilter’s heritage and that of her region and are historically treated as family treasures. 

The original barn on the property,  has long since deteriorated and been replaced by a more modern one, however, the original 100+ year old corn crib still exists.  A corn crib (also known as a corn house) was first used by the Native Americans to store the harvest on the cob with or with out the husks so that the air could circulate through the corn allowing it to dry.  The idea was quickly picked up by the early settlers and designs varied greatly in attempts to prevent pests yet have an open space in the middle for accessing the corn and promoting airflow.   

Carol Duncan Hendricks of Mocksville, N.C., daughter of Romulus and sister to Ronald, came up to the farm for the installation of the quilt block, named Duncans Stars after the pattern on the original quilt.  Carol dubbed the term “a quilt history mystery” in that they have no idea who made it or where it came from, just that it had always been there in the home as long as they could remember. 

On Wednesday, July 11, 2012, Duncans Stars, the fourth Block of the Rural Heritage Quilt Trail, was placed on the original corn crib of the old farm place (now used for storage) located at 1441 Dysartsville Road by volunteer Mike Lucas, who also reproduced the design and painted the 4’ X 4’ block.  A Certificate of Authenticity was presented to the Duncans by Jill Lucas, Chairman of the McDowell Quilt Trail Committee.  The block reproduces the colors and star pattern of the original “history mystery” quilt with its many colors separated by blocks of maroon. 

The family asks if anyone recognizes this quilt, either locally or possibly from the Spruce Pine/Beaver Creek area, to contact MACA (828-652-0318) with more information as to its origins and seamstress.  They would greatly appreciate learning more of the background of this “history mystery”. 

The Rural Heritage Quilt Trail is a part of the McDowell Quilt Trail and strives to preserve an appreciation of the interesting and colorful rural history of McDowell County as well as promote local tourism.  The Heritage Trail blocks are obtained through grants, available upon the satisfaction of simple historical building requirements.  For further information, go to www.mcdowellquilttrail.org to download a Rural Heritage application or contact the McDowell Arts Council Association at 828-652-0318.   Volunteers will be glad to help you in your quest to join the ever-growing McDowell Quilt Trails by either hosting or gifting a block made to your specifications.