Saturday, August 2, 2014

A 20th-Century GAR Quilt

"Wilson Colwell Post No 137.
G.A.R."

The Quilt Index shows a detail of a quilt "found in collections" at the La Crosse County Historical Society. "Found in collections" is museum-speak meaning something like, "No one still here remembers where it came from."


The signature quilt had something to do with the local Wilson Colwell Relief Corps No. 2, associated with the Union veterans' group, the G.A.R. Information about the group's 50th anniversary in 1933 accompanied the quilt. It's inscribed 1883 and 1927 and contains an impressive list of embroidered names.

Check the Index records to see if anyone you know from LaCrosse County, Wisconsin signed the quilt.

See the record here:


UPDATE: Kathy A says this link works:
http://www.quiltindex.org/fulldisplay.php?kid=4-DB-10

and this one doesn't:

The group dedicated this monument to the Union
soldiers of La Crosse in 1913.

They probably met in the G.A.R. room in the basement of
the courthouse, photographed here in 1932.

Their post was named after a local soldier who died during the War.

Wilson Colwell. (1827-1862)
in a Matthew Brady photo taken in
Washington City.

Colwell was killed in the Battle of South Mountain on September 14, 1862.

6 comments:

Suzanne A said...

La Crosse Wisconsin?

WoolenSails said...

That is an amazing piece of history and I love the quilts that are signed and reading the names.

Debbie

Nana Bluebird aka Kathy Aho said...

LaCrosse Wisconsin and Wilson Wisconsin? If so this is definitely of interest to me as so many of my ancestorys on my Grandmother Riley's side settled in Wilson Wisconsin. I will take a look! Kathy Slyngstad Aho in southeastern MN

Barbara Brackman said...

LaCrosse, Wisconsin.

Nana Bluebird aka Kathy Aho said...

I got an error message at the link above but did find the quilt and the names here if anyone needs it. http://www.quiltindex.org/fulldisplay.php?kid=4-DB-10

Kathy Aho

Anonymous said...

I need help printing