The History of Barn Quilts

History of Barn Quilts

Barn quilts are not a new tradition. In fact, they have been around for almost 300 years now. Their history dates back to the times when immigrants from Austria, Germany, and the Netherlands entered America. The practice originated in Pennsylvania after their arrival and spread to different parts of the country, including the Midwestern states and New England. 

Most of these immigrants were Amish, Lutherans, Mennonites, and other groups who came to America looking for religious freedom. As they settled in Pennsylvania, they resorted to barn quilts as a way to protect their barns from evil spirits and bring good fortune to their lands. 

During those times, the paint used to be very expensive, and painting a barn quilt on a big piece of wood was their way to adorn their barns with distinctive patterns. It also became a part of their identity as travelers used these quilts to identify farms and distinguish them from others. Whoever came searching for someone would be told by the townsmen to look for a specific barn quilt pattern. How cool, right?

During the 1830s, paint became cheaper than before, and barn quilt painting was then considered a real trade done by skilled artisans. These designers would mix and match different folk designs with geometric patterns to create unique designs. 

However, it wasn’t until the 20th century that barn decoration art reached its peak and became a more practical form of art through advertising. The colorful quilt designs and geometric patterns were replaced by ads for tobacco, flour, and fertilizers. 

But in 2001, Donna Sue, a woman from Ohio, started designing huge barn quilts that appeared on farms in the East and Midwest to reminisce the traditional value of these quilts. She designed the first remodeled block of a quilt to honor her mother’s memory and help her friend’s business to attract more customers. 

Ever since then, modernized and huge barn quilt squares have started popping up all over between the MidWest and the East, with hundreds of quilt trails in between. They have regained their popularity and can easily be spotted anywhere in the area. 

You can even find quilt trails in many states and visit them using a map that is developed to especially guide viewers to their locations. On these maps, you can see a picture of the quilt square, a name, and its address to locate it. Some of the best quilt trails can be found in Ohio, Michigan, Iowa, Kentucky, Indiana, and Pennsylvania. And they are no longer just limited to barns. You can find them in houses, sheds, garages, and churches. 

As of 2019, over nine states in the U.S. have joined forces to form barn quilt trails, including New York and New Jersey. That’s a way for farmers to attract travelers to their farms and educate them about the history of this amazing art. As a result of these efforts, tourism in these areas has increased greatly as tourists follow the trails through farms and towns to view these quilts. 

Some municipalities have even started conducting contests to find specific quilt squares, and as a result, the tourism and economic development in these rural areas has significantly increased. Today, these quilts are more than just decorative designs to beautify their barns. They have become a source of attraction for tourists. Currently, Shawano County in Wisconsin has the most barn quilts (more than 366).