Blue Oars~Barn Quilt Trail, New Milford, CT

GMS ROWING CENTER‍

Farmer James Feeney, a native of Ireland, built this onetime tobacco barn in 1914 after a previous structure blew down. After tobacco farming declined, a succession of owners used it for a variety of purposes, including stabling horses and storage. Hidden by overgrowth, the building was known only to a few until 2004, when it was renovated as a boathouse for GMS Rowing. That earned it a Preservation Award plaque from the New Milford Trust for Historic Preservation. The quilt block incorporates the colors of GMS Rowing and the barn’s use as part of a revitalized riverfront.

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‍The New Milford Barn Quilt Trail consists of 19 colorful quilt patterns hand-painted on large weather-resistant blocks and hung on antique and vintage barns and historical buildings around our town. It honors our rich agricultural history, the exciting resurgence of family farms in New Milford today and the American tradition of quilt-making. It is the first barn quilt trail established in Connecticut. Already, over 40 U.S. states, including New Hampshire and New York, boast quilt trails in a rapidly expanding movement that began in Ohio in 2001. Get in your car or jump on your bike and use any mobile device to access this site as you visit these barn quilt block sites. Please use caution as you drive, bike or walk along the country roads of the barn quilt trail. Remember that the quilt blocks are displayed on what is often private property and can be viewed only from public roadsides. Responsibility for any accidents while observing the quilt blocks rests entirely with the viewer.

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