Our barn quilts
No. 5: Floral Building
Ashtabula County Fairgrounds
About the quilt & barn
About the quilt & building
Address:
Ashtabula County Fairgrounds, east side/corner of North Elm and Walnut streets, Jefferson
Directions:
From Route 11, take the Route 46 (Jefferson exit) south to Jefferson, past Route 307. Turn right onto West Walnut and proceed to fairgrounds.
The building:
Octagonal structures such as this one were popular for a period in the 19th century. In addition to this building, the county has an octagonal barn in Monroe Township (Hatches Corner Road) and several octagonal homes, including one in Conneaut owned by the Conneaut Historical Society. This building is used for displaying floral entries during the Ashtabula County Fair. It also is used for quilt displays during the Covered Bridge Festival.
NOTE: The quilt is destined for this building, which needs repair and paint. The steering committee held a dedication of the quilt at the Board of Commissioners' meeting at the Ashtabula County Fair, Aug. 7, 2014. However, due to the condition of the building, the decision was made to wait until repairs were completed before hanging.
Chris Angerman stands with the Mairner's Compass barn quilt she created.
The quilt:
4x4 feet, Mariner's Compass
Chris Angerman, barn quilts trail co-founder, selected the Mariner's Compass because of its rich symbolism. Ashtabula County's connections to Lake Erie and the maritime industry are very strong and go back to the early 1800s, when ships were built at Ashtabula, Conneaut and Geneva. Liberty ships that aided in World War I were built in Ashtabula at the Great Lakes Engineering Works. Many lakes captains, engineers and other crew members made their homes in these port communities.
The eight points on the compass also speak of bringing to a central hub the various communities and agricultural efforts in the county, to a common location, the fairgrounds, every year.
This barn quilt celebrates the 100th anniversary of Ohio State Extension and 4-H. The green used in the quilt also gives nod to the 4-H, as do the four large points on the compass.
The octagonal floral building at the fairgrounds is to be recipient of the Mariner's Copmpass quilt.