Nearly 100 Year Old Quilt To Be Displayed At Washington County Courthouse

The Washington County Board agreed at its meeting on Tuesday, December 11, that a nearly century old quilt will be put on display at the county courthouse building.

Washington County State’s Attorney Dan Bronke spoke on behalf of the Washington County Historical Society about a donation the organization had received recently. The quilt was made in 1923, and it represents several of the local and regional mills that were in operation during the early 20th century.

“Some of these are not necessarily in the county,” Bronke said. “There are some from St. Louis, some from New Minden, Addieville.”

Bronke said the quilt came to the society after it was purchased for $2,000 at an auction. He added that a similar quilt is on display at the Heritage House in Okawville.

Bronk explained that the courthouse would be a great place to exhibit the historic quilt so that the public can come and view it during the courthouse business hours. He quipped that he had “no idea that there were so many mills” in the area until he saw the quilt.

“This is the kind of thing that people are interested in,” he said.

The quilt will be on display after it is mounted on a stretcher, which will help the fabric from touching the floor.

The county board agreed to an open time frame for the quilt to be viewed.