Civil War Quilts – More than needles, thread and fabric
Saturday, October 3, 2026 · 11:00 AM EDT · Bennington Historical Museum · Bennington, VT
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About this event
Diana O’Brien remembers her Greek father, a WW2 veteran, asking her brother if he needed a handkerchief as her brother headed out the door to Vietnam in 1966. Aside from language issues, her father had no words for the fear and love he felt for her brother. The handkerchief was his love letter. During the Civil War, quilts made for soldiers were their own love letters, but were also battleground and medical gear. Also, they were ways, mostly for mothers, to express the angst in their hearts, and pass the time, until hopefully, their loved ones returned home from the most human costly war in American history. Diana O’Brien, a volunteer at the Ulysses S. Grant Cottage National Historic Landmark in Gansevoort, New York and award-winning quilter, will tell the unheralded story of Civil War quilts. Professionally made replica Civil War Quilts will be on display, including a replica of the most famous of Civil War quilts, the Jane Stickle quilt. Participants will have an opportunity to see the original Stickle quilt following the program. No registration required. Program is included with regular admission. FREE for Members!
Description from benningtonmuseum.org