Harvard University historian to speak about 1857 pioneer quilt

Date: June 19, 2010, 1 p.m.

Location: New England Quilt Museum, 18 Shattuck Street, Lowell, MA

LOWELL, Mass. — Harvard University historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich’s talk unpacks the history and symbolism of a massive “album quilt” made in the Territory of Utah in 1857. Its historical significance comes from its setting. All the materials in the quilt, with the possible exception of bits of carded wool in the filling, had traveled more than a thousand miles by wagon train into the Rocky Mountains. The quilters too had traveled: from England, from Scotland, Wales, Canada, and Switzerland. From New England, the Mid-Atlantic, the Midwest, and the South. Almost all had moved several times, even before joining The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or Mormons.

See the rest of the description at www.lowell.com.