Alpacas de Colores Farm
1208 Highway 81 North, Jonesborough 37659Washington County
The ‘Lone Star’ quilt square was painted by the Art Class at Crockett High Washington County. Alpacas de Colores (formerly the Devoe Farm) is owned by Celeste and Bob Mushet. They are full time alpaca ranchers and offer customers personalized attention in purchasing, transporting, and raising alpacas. And they sell luscious alpaca wool! See their website at:
Pattern: Lone Star
Website:http://www.alpacasdecolores.com/
Appalachian Fair
Appalachian Fairgrounds, Gray 37615Washington County
Displayed on the Farm & Home Museum, a center of farm antiques and representation of Tennessee farm life throughout the centuries, this quilt block is not inspired by an actual material quilt but is a modern pattern, County Fair, chosen for obvious reasons. There’s always something exciting going on at the Appalachian Fairgrounds. The Appalachian Fair is held in late August each year. The Fairground’s website:
Pattern: County Fair
Website:http://www.appalachianfair.com
Bacon Farm
290 Bacon Rd Jonesborough 37659Washington County
LeMoyne Star hangs on the Bacon barn, an early quilt pattern dating back to the early 1800s, it is also known as the Eight Point Star or Puritan Star. Precision and patience were the key to the traditional inset piecing technique of this design. Perhaps the quilter, Cora Cox Bacon, grandmother of the current farm owner, was keenly aware of this accomplishment as she displayed her finished product on her bedroom wall in the Bacon home-place. Cora’s husband, Robert B. Bacon, built the barn in 1890. His father, Charles Bacon, deeded the farm to him in 1891. Fifth and sixth generation Bacons now reside in the home-place, Bruce H. Bacon, III and his wife, Amber, and their daughter, Kyleigh Paige. The Bacon Farm is located within two miles of the historic Sulphur Springs United Methodist Church campshed, which has been the home of the Sulphur Springs Camp Meeting for over 180 years.
Pattern: LeMoyne Star-Puritan Star
Beech Grove Farm
174 Odell Lane, Fall Branch 37656Washington County
Mr. Shadrack Hale and his family immigrated into the area that would one day become Tennessee. He received an American Revolution payment for “services rendered against the Chickamauga Indians,” and bought over 1,000 acres of land between 1778-1787 in the Hale Springs and Lick Creek communities. He and his son signed the petition requesting North Carolina allow the formation of the State of Franklin. Seven generations have since lived on and farmed the land–which qualifies it as a Tennessee Century Farm. The quilt was made around 1900 by Sarah Jane Jenkins, of Pulaski County, VA. She made it for her son, who moved with his new wife to her family farm, Beech Grove Farm. The quilt is included in a book produced by the Tennessee Daughters of the American Revolution, “Heritage in Quilts” (2000). For a complete history of the 7 generations that have called Beech Grove Farm home, more information can be found at:
Pattern: Feathered Star
Website:http://www.tncenturyfarms.org/washington_county/#Beech_Grove_Farm
Bond Farm
982 Old Stage Road, Gray 37604Washington County
The Bond Barn was built by current owner Patricia Bond and her brother and father, who were both carpenters. The original barn burned down in spring 2013, along with its quilt mural, but both were quickly revitalized a short half-year later! Ms. Bond’s first item of business, after hiring a contractor to rebuild the barn, was to line up an artist to paint a new quilt square right away. The block is the Carpenter’s Wheel which was chosen to honor the current owner’s grandfather, father and brother. They were all in the construction business for many years and had formal engineering education and fine carpentry skills.
Pattern: Carpenters Wheel
Artist: Painted by Harvey Howell
Cross Creek
777 Ford Creek Rd, Gray 37615Washington County
Pattern: Grandmother’s Flower Garden
Crouch Barn & Greenhouse
261 Pickens Bridge Rd, Johnson City 37615Washington County
The Crouch Barn Rose of Sharon Block was painted by the Daniel Boone High School Art Department as a class project. The quilt pattern is inspired by an old family quilt that the owners remember being owned by their grandmother, but the quilt has gone missing. So the owners sewed a new quilt from memory so their family would still have a keepsake–a work of art, and practical for use. This farm is owned by the 5th generation of the Crouch Family. Purchase locally grown flowers and bedding plants seasonally at the family Crouch Greenhouse, just around the corner from the red quilt barn.
Pattern: Rose of Sharon
Artist: Painted by Daniel Boone High School students
Embree House and Farm
142 Matthews Mill Rd, Telford 37690Washington County
This bold 12-ft x 12-ft quilt mural hangs on the barn that faces the entrance to the historic Embree House and Farm. The five patterns were chosen by the owners, Dr. and Mrs. Stern, and Jonesborough artist Virginia Kennedy, to represent centuries of rich history. The center is the Chained Star, which represents slavery; the top is Farmer’s Field, for the land’s history; on the right is the Box Block, which represents the Emancipation newspapers; on the bottom is Lincoln’s Platform; and on the left, is the Underground Railroad pattern. Constructed in 1791 of local limestone, on land that was owned by Jon Sevier, the Embree House eventually would become home to Elihu Embree who was an antislavery activist and editor of the abolitionist newspaper, The Emancipator. The house was part of the Underground Railroad and the Sterns have reconstructed the 18th century part of the house as homage to the many generations who lived at Embree and fought for freedom for all.
Pattern: Emancipation Mixed Block
Artist: Designed by Virginia Kennedy; Painted by Patrick S
Homestead Farm
3213 Homestead Avenue, Johnson City 37604Washington County
The Basket of Chips quilt block is copied from a quilt pieced by Frances Leona Crumley, mother of the current owner of Homestead Farm (formerly Lone Pine Farm). Born in 1909, Mrs. Crumley pieced and quilted by hand over 100 quilts. After retiring from Johnson City Eye Hospital, she spent 20 winters quilting. Summers were busy with gardening and farming. Although a portion of the agricultural and timber land has been converted to busy roads (I-26 and State of Franklin) and new development, the 7th generation of the family still farms several acres of the original tract. The pasture fields and landscape echo the peaceful tranquil era of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Homestead Farm dates back to a 1784 North Carolina State Land Grant to William McBee. John Carr, Revolutionary War soldier, bought the 132-acre land grant from McBee in 1788. John and his wife, Louisa, are buried in the cemetery on the farm. The property passed to their son, William, and was later sold to Michael Krouse in 1818. James Crumley moved to Washington County at the time of his second marriage to Elizabeth Caroline King in 1852 and purchased 154 acres from the Michael Krouse’s heirs on Knob Creek. He was a farmer, blacksmith and served as an enrolling officer for the Confederacy. Homestead carries with it the Civil War story of Confederate soldier Alfred J. King (1839-1865) and brother of Elizabeth King Crumley, and Union soldier, Lafayette Miller (1841-1865) who were both killed at this site. A party of Union men was sent to arrest and bring to justice Mr. King and Jim Crumley for “committing some acts of misdemeanor.” Mr. King was being guarded by Lafayette Miller while the remainder of the party was searching for Crumley. Unexpectedly, King wrenched the pistol from the hands of young Miller and “shot him dead upon the spot.” Friends of Miller heard the pistol and reached the place in time to see King trying to escape at full speed. They fired upon him, killing him. The story is recorded in Brownlow’s Knoxville Whig, on microfilm in the ETSU Library. James Crumley, his wife and five of his children are also buried in the cemetery. The original log cabin, located on the front lawn, has been restored. The barn was built by the great uncle of Frances Leona Crumley, Jacob G. Crumley, (son of John Crumley; grandson of James Crumley). The corn crib and grainery were built in 1880.
Pattern: Basket of Chips
Hunt Farm
557 Austin Springs Road, Johnson City 37601Washington County
A quilt handed down in the Hunt family is the model for the Carpenters Star pattern on the quilt square hanging on the circa-1900 barn. Believed to have been made by the great-grandmother of the present owner, it is made of yellow and white cotton fabric and hand stitched. Hunt Farm was acquired by the family sometime after 1850. William Chamberlain Hale and his wife, Lucinda Hunt Hale, lived on the farm. William was a farmer and a grist mill owner. During the Civil War he was a private in the 4th Infantry Calvary, Company H, Kentucky and spent nine months as a prisoner at Andersonville, Georgia. He was paroled in July, 1865 and spent 3-4 months in the hospital at Andersonville. Lucinda’s great-nephew, Dr. Luke Hunt, had lived with her when he was a young boy. He attended East Tennessee Normal School, and after finishing medical school, he returned home in 1944 and bought the farm. Dr. Hunt’s descendants still own the farm. A picture of the house made in the early 1900’s was found in an old trunk on the property. The kitchen portion of the house is the original log cabin. It looks very much the same today as in the picture. The current barn was built with hand-hewn wooden beams and put together with wooden pegs.
Pattern: Circle Saw
Jonesborough Visitors Center
117 Boone St, downtown Jonesborough 37659Washington County
The Jonesborough Visitors Center and Gift Shop greets over 100,000 visitors from around the world annually. It is a great place to bring out of town guests, a place to obtain brochures and maps for your vacation, and see monthly exhibits of featured artists’ works. This quilt square is one of the few inspired by an appliqued quilt.
Pattern: Botanical Applique
Website:http://www.jonesboroughtn.org/?BISKIT=42968&CONTEXT=cat&cat=25
K&K Bee Farm
207 Paul Saylor Rd, Jonesborough 37659Washington County
K&K Bees and Pleasant Valley Farm are run by the Saylor family. A 300-acre farm run by 3 generations of farmers. Together, they take care of more than 100 beef cattle, 60 pigs, honeybees, and a whole lot of produce. After the family’s dairy operation closed in 2006, the family saw an opportunity to diversify Pleasant Valley Farm by increasing its produce to sell to farmers markets and customers. Honey and bee keeping products:
Website:http://www.localgoods.org/business.php?company=K+%26+K+Bee+Farm
Knob Creek Museum
1069 West Oakland Ave, Johnson City 37604Washington County
Isabell Krouse Sherfey, grandmother of the current owner, made the all-cotton quilt from which this unknown pattern is copied. Isabell made the quilt at her homeplace, probably with the help of her three sisters, all of whom were trained by their mother, Susanna Wine Krouse, in the art of spinning, weaving, knitting and crocheting. The Krouses grew flax and cotton to use in their spinning and raised sheep for the wool to card and spin. Isabell brought the quilt to begin housekeeping when she married widower, David Preston Sherfey, in 1889. He had served with the Union Army in the Civil War and had sold his 1861 Colt revolver to purchase a wagon, mowing machine, hay rake, and a team of mules for farming 17 ½ acres and log cabin he had bought in 1886. This land was part of the original 400+ acres granted to Charles Duncan in 1777 in what was then the state of North Carolina. David Sherfey was a nurseryman, growing fruit trees for sale and farming. He and Isabell had one son, John A. Sherfey, who gave Pioneer Homestead its name in recognition of its land grant origin. The Charles Duncan log cabin, built before 1777, still stands today and was completely restored in 1995. Nearby, privately owned Knob Creek Museum houses many artifacts of the Sherfey and Krouse families, as well as those of community contributors.
Pattern: Mother’s Dream
Knob View Farm
2220 Silverdale Road, Johnson City 37660Washington County
The quilt square displayed on the barn at Knob View Farm actually contains two patterns: “Star of LeMoyne” set inside “Swallows in the Window.” Star of Lemoyne was named after the founder of New Orleans, Jean Baptiste le Moyne. Thru mispronunciation, in some areas Star of LeMoyne evolved into “Lemon Star.” The Swallows in the Window pattern is self explanatory—it looks like birds on all sides of a square—and certainly appropriate for barn display—what barn doesn’t have swallows? This pattern was copied from a quilt made on the farm by Barbara Ann Thomas and her daughter-in-law, Pearl Thomas, before 1950. Isaac Lafayette Thomas met Barbara Ann Swadley when he came from Damascus, Virginia to work as a hired hand and was sent to the Henry Swadley homestead. They fell in love and were married in 1889. The land first acquired by the family in 1848 was passed down to Isaac and Barbara. Although Barbara wanted to build a house, Isaac told her “We need to build a barn. The barn is where our living comes from.” She relented and the barn was completed in 1898—its design considered by many a masterpiece in construction. The “new house” was built in 1915. Isaac and Barbara had two sons, Henry and John. Henry pursued a college education and became the first county agent of Greene County, TN, and later began a long career with Ford Tractors. John studied Industrial Arts at what is now ETSU, but remained on the farm which has now been in the family for 150 years. The current owner, granddaughter of Barbara and Isaac and last of the Thomas generation, Marcella Thomas Epperson, fondly remembers the farm in its heyday, comparing it to “Old MacDonald’s farm” as animals abounded; horses, mules, chickens, hogs, dairy cattle, and guineas.
Pattern: Star of Lemoyne set inside Swallows in the Window
Larry Thompson Farm
236 Charlie Carson Rd, Jonesborough 37659Washington County
Seasonal U-Pick with amazing prices:
Pattern: Tulip
Website:http://www.larrythompsonfarm.com
Lone Star Farm (Wheelock)
768 Harmony Rd, Jonesborough 37659Washington County
Lone Star Farm takes its name from the quilt block displayed on the over-100-year-old barn. (Lone Star farm was originally known as the Walker Hashbarger farm. Mr. Hashbarger was a mule trader. He and his wife had no children and sold the farm in 1974.) Lone Star is one of the most recognizable quilt patterns, and also one of the oldest. The model from which this particular block was copied was quilted by Mrs. Mattie Gray using colorful feedsacks for the small diamond-shaped pieces. Mrs. Gray’s granddaughter, the current owner of Lone Star Farm, has fond childhood memories of staying over at her grandmother’s and sleeping under the colorful quilt. She has loved the quilt for as long as she can remember. After her grandmother died, the quilt was given to her by her grandfather.
Pattern: Lone Star
Masters Farm
251 Pleasant Valley Rd, Jonesborough 37659Washington County
Pattern: Drunkard’s Path
Artist: Painted by Neli Ouzounova
Pioneer Homestead
1069 West Oakland Ave, Johnson City 37604Washington County
Isabell Krouse Sherfey, grandmother of the current owner, made the all-cotton quilt from which this unknown pattern is copied. Isabell made the quilt at her homeplace, probably with the help of her three sisters, all of whom were trained by their mother,
” The Charles Duncan log cabin, built before 1777, still stands today and was completely restored in 1995. Nearby, privately owned Knob Creek Museum houses many artifacts of the Sherfey and Krouse families, as well as those of community contributors.
Pattern: Nebraska
Plum Grove Barn
254 Jackson Bridge Road (off Hwy 107), Jonesborough 37659Washington County
This barn was sadly destroyed by a tornado. Here is its tribute: The Conklin Community, situated on the north side of the Nolachucky River, was one the homes of John Sevier, 1745-1815. Sevier was a noted Indian fighter, land owner, Washington County clerk, governor of the State of Franklin, 6 times governor of Tennessee, and 4 times elected to Congress. This farm, called Plum Grove, was bought by Sevier in 1790. He lived there during his first 3 terms as governor. The home was a large two-story log building with a rock chimney. It stood about 100 yards south of the barn. The house was torn down around 1920 but the chimney stood until 1929. The logs from the house were used for firewood, and a few were made into walking canes. Jeremy Dykes, current owner of the land on which the house stood, is the sixth generation grandson of John Sevier, and the great, great grandson of John Graham, builder of the barn, and great grandson of Charles Andrew Dillow.
BUILDER OF THE BARN – John Summerfield Graham bought the land from L. M. Broyles in 1916. The barn was built shortly thereafter. Mr. Graham also ran Graham Mill in the early to mid 1900’s. It still stands about one quarter mile south of where the barn was. The land, mill, and barn were sold to Charles Andrew Dillow, 1902-1990, by the Graham heirs in 1955. Mr. Dillow was married to John Graham’s daughter, Sara Lou. The land is currently owned by the Dillow heirs, Don and Brian Dillow. Three generations of Dillows continue to live on the farm. It is still a working farm, as tobacco, corn, and grain are raised each year and a dairy is also in operation. QUILT MAKERS – This quilt was made in the late 1800’s or early 1900’s by three sisters living in the neighboring community of New Victory . They were Serphina Jane Scott, Julia Frances Scott, and Phinetta Elizabeth Scott Garvin. Phinetta Garvin ‘s husband was a Confederate Veteran , and she was a second grade school teacher in the Washington County School system in the late 1800’s. Mrs. Garvin was the great, great, great grandmother of Jeremy Dykes.
Saults Farm
Intersection of SR107 x Deseree Broyles Rd, Chuckey 37641Washington County
Pattern: American Flag
Silver Bow Farm
131 Highway 107, Jonesborough 37659Washington County
Squibb Farm
Sulphur Springs x Pleasant Valley Rd Jonesborough 37659Washington County
Sharon Squibb painted the Dresden Plate pattern on the wooden square that hangs on the Squibb barn. It was copied from a quilt crafted by her great-grandmother, Sarah Jane Squibb, who was a member of the Women’s Missionary Union. This tract of land has been in Sharon’s family since it was deeded to ancestors Payne and Dicy Squibb on August 15, 1829. Payne Squibb was the son of John and Sarah Payne Squibb, whose parents came to Washington County in 1797. Current owners of the farm—Bill, Don, Fay, and Kaye (Atwood) Squibb–are the 5th generation of Squibbs on the farm. The barn was built in 1945 by family and friends.
St. John Barn and Mill
3191 Watauga Rd, Watauga 37694Washington County
The St. John Milling Company has a history of over 200 years continuous operation in the Watauga area of Washington County, Tennessee. Today, the St. John Farm includes Tennessee’s oldest business, St. John Milling Company, and the Stone Manor, one of Tennessee’s two oldest homes. Jeremia Dungan, the original owner of the mill, purchased a deed for the mill, stone manor, and 400 acres of land from the Watauga Association in 1778. A Dutch master stone mason by trade, Dungan built the original foundation of the mill from hand-chiseled stone and hand-hen timber. The stone manor and stone mill foundations are still standing 200 years later, attesting to his fine workmanship. The original mill was powered by a sixteen-foot high, wooden, overshot, water wheel. This wheel was connected by dogwood trunnel-head gearing to two fifty-four inch diameter stone buhrs – one stone for grinding corn and one for grinding wheat. Beef and mutton tallow were produced on the farm to lubricate the gears and bearings. The mill passed on to the Dungan heirs until 1866, when George W. St. John, great nephew of Jeremia Dungan, purchased the mill and farm. The Watauga valley was very prosperous, having been spared damage from the Civil War. Milling continued to flourish as it had for the past century and the area became known as “The Bread Basket of the Southeast”. Railroad and water transportation were an asset to the mill and goods from the St. John Mill were shipped all over the region. In busy seasons, wagons lined up overnight to grind their grain. No one seemed to care about the inconvenience, because they enjoyed camping and visiting with their neighbors. The St. John’s continue to own and maintain the business today (the milling operation closed in the 1970s). Because of Jeremia Dungan’s Dutch heritage the family owns several ‘Little Dutch’ quilts made by various skilled hands over the generations.
Pattern: Little Dutch Boy and Girl
Tennessee Quilts
114 Boone St, downtown Jonesborough 37659Washington County
Jonesborough’s Quilting shop and supporter of the quilt trail from its beginning. The dual quilt blocks in downtown were installed in 2010 inspired by quilts made in the shop.
Pattern: Tree of Life & Tennessee Honeysuckle
Website:http://www.tennesseequilts.com/
Washington College Academy
116 Doak Lane, Limestone, TN 37681Washington County
The quilt block, “A Light in the Wilderness,” painted by artist Sharon Stone, is based on the vision of Samuel Doak of establishing “the first Institution of Learning west of the Allegany Mountains” and Salem Church in 1780. The cabin represents the log cabin that was built to house both the school and church. Originally the school was named Martin Academy after the governor of North Carolina. In 1793, the school was renamed Washington College with a letter of permission to the school from George Washington. Although the school has been a college and later a high school, today Washington College Academy is a School for Arts and Crafts. Salem Presbyterian Church is also located on the campus.
Quilts certainly have been a part of the school and church’s history. During most of the 1900s quilts were used on most of the dormitory students’ beds. When the boys’ dorm burned in 1954, the women of the church had a quilting bee in the church basement. These quilts were given to the boys when the new dorm was completed. Richard Donoho, current Board of Trustees Treasurer, was a dorm resident at the time of the fire and still has the quilt gifted to him by the ladies. Another quilt, which was apparently quilted by the ladies of the church in the 1920s, was found by a man who purchased several boxes at a yard sale in Erwin. He graciously returned the quilt to WCA a few years ago. The Academy refers to the quilt as a “mystery quilt,” but it is also called a “Signature Quilt.” The mystery is “what group of folks were selected to sign the quilt?” It has a signature of several women, most who attended Salem Church, and a few men. There is an embroidered signature for each quilt block. Thankfully, one lady added “Washington College” beneath her signature, and the gentleman was able to return the mystery quilt.
Friends and Alumni of the Academy helped inspire the design and assisted with the completion of The Light in the Wilderness quilt. A lot of hard work and thought were given to the design. In addition to the log cabin, the bell symbolizes a beckon for students and worshipers. The books in corners of the quilt block are symbols of both books for study and the Bible, and the lit candles in the corner blocks and in the cabin windows represent the “enlightenment” that knowledge brought to the pioneers. The trees and the blue ridge mountains represent the wilderness of the 1780s. The predominate colors of blue and white represent the school colors. The Academy has a rich history, and this quilt reflects Samuel Doak’s vision.
Pattern: The Light in the Wilderness
Design: Quilt Committee of Board of Trustees
Artist: Sharon Stone
Website:https://www.washingtoncollegeacademy.org/>
Win-Crest Farms 1
385 Carroll Creek Rd, Johnson City 37601Washington County
Pattern: Wheel of Fortune
Win-Crest Farms 2
385 Carroll Creek Rd, Johnson City 37601Washington County
Pattern: Four Square Flower
