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HELDERBERG QUILT BARN TRAIL
Helderberg Quilt Barn Trail is a driving tour of wooden, painted barn quilts in the Helderberg Hilltowns of Albany County in Upstate New York. It is part of a national grassroots folk art movement that celebrates our rural architecture and legacy of quilting. HQBT is organized by a committee of dedicated volunteers. |
Knox Historical Society has a double-sided 2'x6' barn quilt created by Jane McLean and John Elberfeld. The individual designs are based on traditional quilt blocks and depict aspects of the town's history. Knox Historical Society maintains its collection in the Saddlemire Homestead, which is owned by the Town of Knox.
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(Top) Tin Horn (Churn Dash): Symbol of the Anti-Rent Wars fought in the Helderbergs to end the patroon system of land ownership. The Patriots' Room in the museum has a tin horn on display.
(Middle) Knox Cave Stairway (Snail's Trail): From 1930s to the 1950s, Knox Cave, with its roller skating rink, was a major attraction and employed many local teenagers. The Knox Cave Room in the museum has photos and artifacts from the cave. The cave is now closed to the public. (Bottom) Corn and Beans: The early settlers of Knox were farmers. Agriculture remains an important part of life today. The museum has many antique farm tools on display. |
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(Top) Log Cabin: Early settlers use local timber to build their first log cabin homes. The museum has several genealogies and stories of early settlers.
(Middle) Pill Box (Ohio Star): Knox is the "Pill Box Capital of the World". Workers in small factories made millions of these little wooden boxes and shipped them off the Hill. The museum's Pill Box Room displays the materials, tools, and methods used in this cottage industry of the 19th century. (Bottom) Bear Paw: The museum has the skin of a bear shot in Knox. Pictures and newspaper articles on display describe the event in detail. Bears were a threat to the early settlers and occasionally come through Knox today. |
