Ferris Family Quilt~Barn Quilt Trail, New Milford, CT

NEW MILFORD HISTORICAL SOCIETY

The tulip pattern of the quilt block was adapted from a Ferris family quilt made in 1853 that is part of the historical society’s collection. It represents New Milford’s early Colonial farming settlers. The block hangs on Senator Elijah Boardman’s former store building, which served local farmers as well as townsfolk. Built in 1796, it housed a store into the 1840s. Boardman’s daybooks, still in existence, document his role as the middleman in the agriculture of the day, accepting produce from local farms and shipping it to the coast, then bringing back imported textiles, tools and other necessities and luxuries for local families.

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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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