Find a Pennsylvania Barn Quilt

If you see a colorful quilt block hanging on the side of a barn in the Pennsylvania countryside, your eyes aren’t deceiving you. Pennsylvania has hundreds of these “barn quilts” scattered across the commonwealth, paying tribute to our Germanic and agricultural backgrounds. While barn quilts exist in other areas, the PA countryside is especially a hotspot for this form of art. Read on to learn more about the origins of barn quilts and the popularity of barn quilts in PA today and discover barn quilt trails throughout the state.

What Is a Barn Quilt?

A barn quilt is a large piece of wood, typically 8-by-8 feet, painted with geometric motifs to look like a single quilted block and hung on the exterior of a barn, house, garage, or other building. The design, which is usually made of simple polygonal shapes, is often chosen from a family heirloom quilt that has been passed down through generations. Because of this, many consist of traditional quilt patterns such as the Compass Star or Pinwheel, while others are inspired by nature or local industry. These barn quilts help to celebrate the local establishments and culture.

Germanic Roots

Today’s barn quilts have Pennsylvania Dutch farmers to thank for inspiration. Mennonite and other Germanic farmers brought hex signs to America in the 17^th century. Reminiscent of Scandinavian folk art designs, hex signs are circular decorative designs hung on the exteriors of barns. While six-pointed stars were the most popular design, other common hex signs designs include birds, grains, hearts, and flowers. Some historians say hex signs are spiritual in nature and provided protection to the contents of the building, while others believe hex signs to be purely decorative. Hex signs and other basic quilt patterns created the foundation for barn quilts, and many quilt square and hex sign designs can still be found in Pennsylvania Dutch communities today.

Barn Quilt Boom

Though Pennsylvania farmers have been using hex signs and quilt patterns to decorate their barns for decades, a spike in barn quilt popularity occurred in 2001 after an Ohio woman decided to honor her mother by painting a quilt and hanging it on the side of her tobacco barn. Her work of art inspired her friends, neighbors and the town eventually allowed her to expand her designs throughout the area, creating the very first barn quilt trail – The American Quilt Trail. Similar trails have been adopted in agricultural communities across the country as more farmers sought to honor their heritage by adding quilt blocks to their barns. Travelers can now find barn quilts in 48 states and Canada.

Find a Pennsylvania Barn Quilts

Pennsylvania has hundreds of barn quilts scattered across its scenic countryside. Many communities have organized these barn quilts into trails, making it easy to find one to check out while enroute to another destination or to make a day out of searching out enough to make an entire quilt. Some of the most prominent regional and statewide barn quilt trails are:

Pennsylvania State Grange Heritage Quilt Trail

With more than 300 wooden quilt blocks on display, Pennsylvania Grangers created the state-wide State Grange Heritage Quilt Trail to showcase the heritage of quilting through design and patterns. The mission of this trail is to highlight the heritage of quilting through design and patterns. The most well-known stop on the trail is the permanent display at the PA Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg.