Overview:
Seven local historical societies in the North Quabbin area will participate in the North Quabbin History Tour on September 21, showcasing the unique history of the region. Visitors will have the opportunity to see a nearly 140-year-old quilt gifted to the Royalston Historical Society by the Athol Historical Society. The identities of 11 of the women who contributed squares to the quilt have been confirmed, but the reason why it was made and where it went after it was completed remain unknown. The historical societies hope that people visiting the tour will become more engaged in their local history and donate materials to their collections.
ROYALSTON — Seven local historical societies will open their doors this weekend to showcase the unique and inspiring history of the North Quabbin area.
The Athol, Narragansett, Orange, Petersham, Phillipston, Royalston and Swift River historical societies will be open on Sunday, Sept. 21, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. for the North Quabbin History Tour.
Among the many items visitors will have the opportunity to see is a nearly 140-year-old quilt given to the Royalston Historical Society by the members of the Athol Historical Society. The folk art quilt, done in the appliqué crazy quilt style, was stitched together by the women of South Royalston and is dated Dec. 31, 1885.
Researchers have been able to confirm the identities of 11 of the women who contributed squares to the quilt. According to Lorraine Casinghino, curator of the Royalston Historical Society Museum, the women all hailed from prominent families in South Royalston and were members of the Second Congregational Church.
“There’s so much crossover in our history, our shared history.”
Michael Adams, president of the Athol Historical Society
What isn’t known about the quilt, including the names of other contributors, is the reason it was made in the first place.
“We don’t have a lot of those answers,” said Casinghino. “We were thinking these women, who all went to the same church, got together on the same night and did the stitching in 1885. We really have no idea why they did this quilt or where it went after they did it.”
As far as the squares of the quilt are concerned, Casinghino said, “Some of them represent what the particular women did. There are farm scenes. There’s one done by Edna Hale, who was married to a horse farmer and is an appliqué of a horse. One of them has a pig; so, did somebody own a pig, was somebody a pig farmer? But we really don’t know the significance. A lot of it is just whimsy.”
Michael Adams, president of the Athol Historical Society, said, “At our society, we have a lot of quilts, we have a lot of quilts made in Athol, and we happened to have this very beautiful, interesting quilt that really speaks to the history of Royalston. It just felt like it needed to go home.
“There’s so much crossover in our history, our shared history,” Adams continued. “And I think that’s what makes the story so interesting when taken in conjunction with the North Quabbin History Tour. You always hear about the men in history, but you don’t often hear the story of the women, and the women of South Royalston were really the backbone of that community.”
In addition to learning more about the region’s history, it’s hoped that people visiting the local historical societies may have something to add to their collections.
“We’re small historical societies. We all depend on donations, either monetary or donations of materials,” Casinghino said. “All of the historical societies in this area and on this tour are depending on people to come there, learn about the history, and become more engaged in their local history and their local historical societies.”
The story surrounding the quilt, Adams added, might inspire people to donate an object that’s specific to the region.
“These museums are really about education. When you have middle school, high school, even elementary school kids walking through your museum, sometimes you have to fill in the gaps,” he added. “You have to add a little spice to the recipe so it can become a fully immersive experience. But all of our museums are just telling the story of our towns, our communities, our region and our way of life.”
For more information on the North Quabbin History Tour, visit tinyurl.com/4fbtxpa8.