Like the many pieces of cloth in the patchwork of the quilt, the quilters themselves represent Maumee's diversity.  Not all the quilters knew one another beforehand, nor were all natives of the Maumee area, several having coming from places as distant at Texas and Tripoli.  The quilters also represent a wide spectrum of age, profession and background, just as their stitches, techniques and fabrics differ from one another.  Not every quilter was an expert in needlecraft -- in fact, for some it was their first effort.  Close inspection, however reveals that the quilters, like generations of quilters before them, pooled their materials; some white window-pane weave cotton that appears on several blocks was even dyed terra-cotta in the representation of a brick house; and there's a bit of blue-and-white stripe that was salvaged from play clothes "handed down" from the children of one quilter to the children of another.  The making of the Maumee Quilt was a learning experience as well as a sharing one.

The selection and historical research of each house depicted in the Maumee Quilt was left up to the individual quilters.  In the process, many facts and local legends came to light which the quilters incorporated into their "house histories."  The quilt itself illustrates a variety of residential architectural styles that trace a century of the city's development, before, during, and after Maumee's "Canal Days" in the mid-nineteenth century.  With the exception of the Frederick House, now on the grounds of the Wolcott House Museum, all the houses depicted in the quilt are still in use as residences, and most are within walking distance of one another.  One of the older homes -- once owned by Daniel Cook, a former Mayor of Maumee -- was especially involved in the making of the quilt by providing the space of its dining room for the quilting frame.  Owing to Maumee's abundance of historic homes, it was impossible to represent all the houses, churches and public buildings that merited inclusion.

Dedication, hard work, generosity and affection for where we live are qualities that make our Maumee Quilt a gift that shall endure long after the 1976 Bicentennial celebration.

                                                                         Author:  Carolyn Feleppa Balducci
                                                                         The Maumee Quilt Brochure 1976

The 42 Quilters:

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