Tales from the No Man’s Land Museum - The Mysterious Crazy Quilt
The Crazy Quilt became popular in the Victorian Era during the last quarter of the nineteenth and first decade of the twentieth century. Major advances included the invention of the sewing machine and the availability of silk, satin, and brocades which could be used in quilt making. Often a square piece of muslin was used as a background. Different shapes of fabric were sewn onto the muslin. The pieces were embellished with ribbon, lace, buttons, embroidery, and writing. It was a favorite way to display skilled, elaborate, embroidery needlework. The squares were sewn together to form a piece of art called a Crazy Quilt.
The No Man's Land Museum in Goodwell has a Crazy Quilt made by Mary Catherine Jordan Durham who was born in Alabama in 1846. She married John Randolph Durham in 1865. According to “Find a Grave,” she came to Oklahoma in 1896 and died in 1929 in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma so the quilt is probably over 100 years old.
One of Mary Durham's daughters was Jessie Durham Acker who was born in 1881. She married Will Acker in 1899 but died eight years later in 1907 when she was only 26 years old. She was born in Checotah, Oklahoma and was buried there. Jessie's obituary stated that she came to the Creek Nation with her parents. She and Will Acker had four children – one of whom was named Mary. She was born in 1903 so she was only about four years old then her mother died.
According to Mary Acker Young's obituary in the 29 March 2000 Guymon Daily Herald, she moved with her family to New Mexico by covered wagon. When she was eight years old (about 1911), the family traveled by covered wagon to Hooker. Mary was united in marriage to James Young in 1922 and established a home in Hooker. She lived there after her husband's death before moving to Abilene, Texas in 1996. Before she moved, Mary Acker Young donated her grandmother Mary Durham's Crazy
Quilt to the Museum in 1990.
It isn't a fancy quilt with silk and satin pieces, but
is made of somewhat bland cotton and wool fabric. Embroidery decorates a quilt that reflects use and hard work. Mary Durham used the basic “running stitch” as well as the chain stitch, herringbone stitch, feather stitch, satin stitch and others. She embroidered typical flowers and leaves, but there is something of a mystery. Using the chain stitch, Mary embroidered “Holy Angels Guard Thy Rest” which may mean that it was a “memorial quilt”. The name of Mary's dead daughter, Jessie Acker, was embroidered as well as the name, Jesse Phillips. (Mary Durham also had a daughter named
Martha Phillips so perhaps Jesse Phillips was a grandchild.) The initials, S H B, were also evident. There were numerous outlines of hands of different sizes. There is a small hand with “J” embroidered in the middle and a small blue hand in a chain stitch. Perhaps Mary Durham embroidered hands to represent her daughter Jessie and family members who were with the “angels”. Or perhaps, the hands represented family members who were honoring the dead. It is a poignant quilt that is mysterious with unanswered questions.
The touching quilt and other historic quilts can be seen in the museum. The No Man's Land Museum is open Tuesday – Saturday, 10:00 – 12:00 AM and 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM – closed Sunday, Monday, and state holidays. Please consider wearing a mask if you are unvaccinated. Follow the Museum on Facebook@NoMansLandMuseum.