The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Southern Quilt Trail runs through seven counties
Q: What is the Southern Quilt Trail and where can fifind it?
A: The trail was started to honor the art of quilting.
“Many of us can remember our mothers or grandmothers sitting around quilting,” according to the Southern Trails website.“Most people have at least one quilt that was made by a family member.”
There are seven counties in northwest Georgia that have quilts painted on the sides of buildings. The closest to Atlanta is in Powder Springs in west Cobb County.
There are 10 quilts in the city’s historic downtown. Nine of quilts are in about a two block area, which is an easy walk. Another is a couple of blocks away, on the side of a tiny barn, between the First United Methodist Church and the Camp-Boyd House offff Marietta Street. It is easy to miss the Sunbonnet Sue quilt because it is hidden among trees.
The fifirst quilt painted in Powder Springs(March 2007) is onthe east side the County Store of Seven Springs. The quilt is calledthe Star of Bethlehem, also known as the Star of the East and Lone Star. The country store, built in 1879, is now vacant.
The building is divided into three sections. The part closest to the street has a large Coca-Cola logo with the quilt painted next to it, the middle has white siding and the back section is an old stable with dark siding. The building is showing its age, supported by stacks of bricks and metal rods. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.
Marietta Street Cafe and Grill, scheduled to open the fifirst week in October, has a quilt overlooking the outside eating area. The Floral Basket quilt is a “good design for the quilter to use her imagination and fifill the baskets with flflowers, fruits, etc.,” according to the Southern Quilt Trail.
“We inherited the quilt,” said Susan Carr, one of the owners of the restaurant. “We didn’t know there was a story to go with it. There is a lot of historic stuff in this town.”
Todd Kline, who has been with Carr for 30 years, is the other owner. The building their restaurant is in was built in 1920.
Other counties along the Southern Quilt Trial in northwest Georgia include: Carroll, Douglas, Paulding, Haralson, Heard, Randolph and Bacon.
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