Each year between Labor Day and Indigenous People’s Day the world famous 1863 Jane Stickle Quilt is on its annual display at Bennington Museum. Brought into the Museum collection 80 years ago, the quilt is only shown for a short time each year due to the fragility of the fabric. Quilters from around the country and world plan trips to the region during that time to see the remarkable Civil Was era masterpiece which is comprised of 169 five-inch blocks, each in different patterns and a unique fabric, containing a total of 5,602 pieces surrounded by a unique scalloped border.

This year, due to COVID travel restrictions, the Museum is attempting to make this quilt accessible to as many people as possible in the extended community through virtual means. In the online collections catalog viewers can find detailed images of the stitching on the reverse side and up-close pictures of many of the squares. Recently, the Museum also hosted a well attended virtual lecture which had over 40 participants from 19 states and four countries. This talk was recorded and may be purchased for viewing by visiting special exhibitions on the Museum’s website: benningtonmuseum.org, along with a variety of quilt merchandise.

Visitors are welcome to view the quilt in person through October 12th at Bennington Museum during open hours: Friday 1-8pm, or Saturday, Sunday, and Monday 1-6pm.