This month at Historic Fort Steuben, we are hosting our annual Spring Quilt show. We are in our 15th year for the show at the Fort and it is always one of my favorite events. This year, we have 45 quilts on display ranging from small lap quilts to large king-sized pieces. My colleague, Mary Snyder, does an incredible job organizing the event every year, and this year is no exception. I am always amazed at the craftsmanship of these unique objects.

I grew up around quilts and quilting so, I know just a little bit of the process of creating these works of art. My grandmother was a fantastic and very skilled quilter. Some of my fondest memories of her are those when I would enter her home and she was working hard creating a new project. She would show me her work with pride and then tell me how she chose the fabric and pieced the blocks together. Many hours were spent with her at JoAnn Fabric so she could select the best and most appropriate fabric. I have many memories in those stores with her, and it makes me sad that they are going out of business.

With all of this said, I really appreciate all the work that I know goes into creating and sewing a quilt or any textile, for that matter. One of the pieces on display right now at the Fort, is a coverlet from the mid-19th century. The definition of a coverlet, according to the National Museum of American History’s website describing their National Woven Coverlet Collection, is “a decorative, woven bedcovering.”

Sometimes called coverlids or kivers, these bedcoverings have been present in American homes — from Colonial times through the Colonial Revival. Coverlets were usually woven from a combination of linen or cotton and wool. They can be broadly divided into two categories based on design and loom type: Geometric and Figured and Fancy.” The coverlet we have on display as part of the show is one woven in the geometric style. I have seen some from our area that have incredible fancy designs though, and are equally as impressive.

As a student of decorative arts and antiques, I know that most objects, like furniture in particular, can often be attributed to specific makers or regions of the country. It takes an expert eye to know where a specific piece comes from. It is the same for textiles. Textiles can be identified through style and type, to a specific region of the country, and often to specific nationalities who may have been prevalent in a specific area. Our region in the northern panhandle and in eastern Ohio is unique when you look at decorative arts. By the very nature of the way our region was settled in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, settlers descended on the area from many different backgrounds and artistic traditions. According to the same website from the National Museum of American History, different regions of the country are described with their own unique artistic traditions. “Coverlet weavers were among some of the earliest European settlers in the Northwest Territories. After helping to clear the land and establish agriculture, these weavers focused their attention on establishing mills and weaving operations with local supplies for local markets. This economic pattern helped introduce the American interior to an industrial economy. It allowed the weaver to free himself and his family from traditional, less favorable urban factory life. New land in Ohio and Indiana enticed weavers from New York and Mid-Atlantic traditions to settle in the Northwest territories. As a result, coverlets from this region hybridized, blending the fondness for color found in Pennsylvania coverlets, with the refinement of design and Scottish influence of the New York coverlets.”

In Steubenville, weavers were a huge part of the local economy. At one time in Steubenville’s history, the woolen industry was dominate. In 1815, Bezaleel Wells, town founder, established a woolen mill on Market Street. Historically, this is touted, at least around here, as being the first woolen mill in the United States. This woolen mill was powered by steam engines brought in from Pittsburgh.

The wool was sheered from Merino sheep, brought in by Wells. By 1830, a flock of more than 4,000 animals were grazing on the hills around Steubenville. This cottage industry was extremely prevalent. At one time, 12 mills were operating in the city. Carpets, coverlets and other woolen goods, were all made here. Carpets, especially, are interesting to me because they could be just as fancy and colorful as some coverlets. When I was at the Craik-Patton house as director, we had a donation of an antique, early 19th-century rug, and I always felt it gave the museum a certain authenticity to have an actual rug from the period on the floor. These objects don’t readily survive because of their utilitarian use. Most were actually sewn on the underside of new rugs to give more padding, which is how some have survived.

In Steubenville in 1830, there was a carpet and coverlet maker called David Kennedy working at a small establishment on Market Street. A carpet there cost $1.25 a yard. According to the Steubenville city directory of 1856, there was a carpet showroom at an establishment called Dougherty & Brothers at the northeast corner of Third and Market streets. Just up the street from there, was a woolen manufacturer called George Orth and Brothers on the north side of Market Street between Seventh and a street called Liberty. Because of all this activity in this medium, Steubenville was known as Jean Town for the prevalence of all the woolen goods made here — especially in the area west of Fifth Street and south of Market.

After the Civil War, the woolen industry declined here and brought about new establishments, but the tradition of textile work did not wane. This is most evident today, especially in our exhibit on quilts at the Fort. Visitors have another week to see the show, as it closes Friday. I am blessed that my wife has an interest in quilting, too, and has entered a piece in the show this year. I am very proud she is continuing this special tradition in our family and hopefully, that will foster an interest for my children. Passing on these traditions is important, as it’s a way to connect to the past through tangible objects. And quilts are a soft and warm way to connect with history.

(Zuros is Hancock County administrator.)