Quilt

Object Name:

Quilt

Object ID:

2024.048

Place of Origin:

Concord, NH

Date:

circa 1980

Description:

Quilt made by members of the First Congregational Church of Concord, New Hampshire, in honor of the church's 250th anniversary in 1980. The quilt consists of 35 handmade squares on a blue velvet background. There are blue velvet loops along the top and a looped fringe on the bottom edge.

Material:

Fabric

Dimensions:

H-82 W-103 inches

Provenance:

The Never Idle Circle of the King's Daughters and Sons International Order sponsored the creation of a pictorial wall-hanging to record the history of the First Church's 250th Anniversary. The gift was presented to the First Congregational Church, now United Church of Christ, of Concord, New Hampshire, at the 250th Anniversary Banquet on April 19, 1980. The commemorative wall-hanging was on display in the Assembly room of the church at 177 North Main Street, in Concord from 1980 until the church sold the building in 2020.

As an artistic document of living history spanning the years 1730-1980, the wall-hanging portrays the life and times of the First Church, its early and later participation in the town first known as Penny Cook, then Rumford, and now Concord. Details and design of the wall-hanging's historical concept were planned by Virginia Vose Beck, a member of the Never Idle Circle for more than 30 years. She researched First Church archives, the published histories of Concord, and consulted with the Minister, Reverend Donald Jennings, and with Rita Camp of the New Hampshire Histrical Society. Her suggestions for each square were based on related historical facts.

Credit Line:

Gift of First Congregational Church of Concord, United Church of Christ

Subjects:

Quilting, Quilts, Churches