TidesNet—Online Collections Entry Detail

DescriptionA late 19th century “crazy quilt” from this region that came into our collections two years ago. It dates to the 1890s and had come down through the Livermore and Whalen families of Eastport, Maine before it was donated to us by descendants of the family. The quilt measures 63” high and 51” inches wide and includes a piece that has a large cursive “L” with the numbers 84 and 94 on either side of the letter as well as a piece that is a ribbon for the 13th reunion of the 1st Maine Cavalry of the American Civil War. Crazy quilts hit their heyday in the 1880s to early 1890s, putting this quilt in the middle of the craze. They were usually dated, as were needle point samplers, with the dates of their completion so this quilt may have been a 10 year project, begun in 1884 and finished in 1894. The quilt most likely was made by Sarah Preble Livermore who was born in 1867 and would have been 17 when she started the quilt. The large cursive “L’ stands for Livermore and Sarah’s last name would have still been Livermore until 1892 when she married Leveret Whalen and took the Whalen last name. In addition, Sarah’s mother, Ellen Bucknam Livermore, wrote poems to Sarah about gifts she was giving her, including sewing needles. Sarah clearly took an interest in the crafts of the time as she also did some china painting as well. As for the 1st Maine Cavalry ribbon, one of Sarah’s uncles was Brevet Brigadier General Charles H. Smith, who had married Mary Livermore, and was an honored veteran of the American Civil War, having been awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism. He entered the Civil War as a captain in the 1st Maine Cavalry regiment and later took command of the regiment.