Century of Growth~Barn Quilt Trail, New Milford, CT

SUNNY VALLEY PRESERVE‍

The quilt block represents the long history of agriculture here. The triangular shapes at the corners evoke Indian arrowheads and ears of corn. This structure was built in 1938 as the main dairy barn by George Pratt, a member of one of the early founding families of Standard Oil. A Harvard graduate and rebel, he settled in Bridgewater and worked to save local agriculture. Formerly an extensive dairy and tobacco farm, Sunny Valley is one of five farms Pratt donated to The Nature Conservancy, which now leases them to independent farmers. Among them is Fort Hill Farm, once home to a Native American settlement and today a major producer of organic vegetables for local farmers markets.

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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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