‘Barn quilt’ BOUNTY
Arkansas Quilt Trails enter Saline County with varied examples
The growing Arkansas Quilt Trails program has expanded its presence in the Little Rock metropolitan area, with 17 of the colorful outdoor artworks on view in Saline County.
Fourteen of those quilt blocks, usually crafted by property owners, are scattered across Benton. One each is displayed in Alexander, Bauxite and west of Hensley. Most are located in residential neighborhoods. All are visible from the street or road, as required. One can be seen at the site of a venerable Christian camp meeting. The trail is sponsored by PVF Industrial Supply.
Saline County is among the 22 counties with an Arkansas Quilt Trail, which requires the display of at least a dozen examples. The first was created in 2018 in Stone County. Most are in the state’s northern half. Locations include mainly rural Perry County on the fringe of metropolitan Little Rock. Other routes are in the works.
The term “barn quilt” is often applied to the art, although many examples are found elsewhere — on community buildings, businesses, historic sites, homes, outbuildings, even a silo.
And the word “quilt” is figurative. No sewing is involved, as the images are painted on wood or metal. Some of the art evokes the patterns that rural and small-town women have created since the frontier era at quilting bees.
“Barn quilt trails are found in most of the 50 states,” says Renee Rushing Carr, director of the all-volunteer Arkansas project since its inception six years ago. “But a unique feature of ours is the story that accompanies each quilt. The quilt blocks are beautiful and worth seeing in their own right. But the story often adds an interesting twist.”
Carr cites the “Salem Camp Meeting” block in Benton, “where settlers would gather after the harvest in the early years of Saline County to relax and give thanks to the Lord. The tradition of the annual meeting under the arbor continues today over several evenings with guest ministers and live music.”
Debbie Stuckey, the trail coordinator for Saline County, devised one of her first quilts in Benton as a memorial to her father, Delbert Truan.
“He had passed away in 2017,” she says. “He had been born in Kansas, the Sunflower State, so I did the ‘Sunflower’ block in his memory. Because he enjoyed building birdhouses and yard decorations, I wanted a wooden block.”
“Drums Across America,” the second block at the Stuckey home, salutes her husband, Lee. “He served 20 years in the U.S. Air Force,” she explains. “And during six of those years, he was a percussionist with the 502nd Air Force Band of the Gulf Coast. I added the drum and drumsticks in honor of his patriotic service.”
The Stuckeys’ daughter, Jennifer, sketched the block designs on the boards before her mother painted them. Jennifer also designed the “We Help Animals” block at the Saline County Humane Society in Bauxite. Picturing two cats and two dogs, it was built by Salem Superstars 4-H members.
“Star Valley Farm” is posted on a barn roof of a family farm outside Benton. Creator Carrie McWilliams says that the image was inspired by her husband: “He said that when he was a boy, the night sky was an impressive ‘valley full of stars.’ It is that way still.”
Carr reports that a quilt trail is being developed for Faulkner County by Lynita Langley-Ware, director of the Faulkner County Museum in Conway. There are now seven quilt blocks enrolled, on the way to the required 12.
“In 2018, I had no idea that the quilt-trail endeavor would expand to all parts of the state, from Little River County in the southwest corner to Boone County at our northern border,” Carr says. “We have a trail in Jefferson County, plus others developing in the Delta in Mississippi County and Arkansas County.”
She credits the popularity of quilt trails “to their visual impact and the attention they attract. They provide yet another appealing attraction for visitors, while also beautifying communities for residents to enjoy.” Information on all the trails can be found at ArkansasQuiltTrails. com. The posting includes color images of the numerous quilt blocks along with their locations, titles and creators.