Antique Southern Quilts Collection Showcase

A special quilting exhibit, “Threads of Our History: Quilts of Mathews Virginia,”  will debut at the Mathews Museum, October 5 and will be on exhibit  through the end of December.

These quilts are from a private collection of an old Mathews family, going back over a century.   Mathews is a small, rural southern county sitting on the Chesapeake Bay. The quilts  reflect their utilitarian use, in a geographic area that was fairly isolated until the 1950s. The quilts honor a southern tradition of quilting when scraps of fabric or clothing were used to make bedding when the family needed it. Southern quilts have their own identity, with their use of color, size of pieces, and choice of fabric, which was primarily cotton and feedbags.

The current holders of this very special collection are Mathews residents Jay Black, a financial advisor with Davenport & Co. and his wife, Lori Jackson Black, a genealogist and historian, who are pleased to be able to share this treasured collection with the public at the upcoming special exhibit.

“These quilts represent the life of Polly Brooks Diggs (1884-1988) and her sister Maron Diggs (1878-1982) as well as other women in the Diggs family who worked together to provide quilts to their extended family and friends in Mathews County,” says Lori Jackson Black. Lori continues, “Carole Diggs Hindman, the most recent owner of the collection, passed away in 2018 and it was left to my husband, Jay, to manage the property, which she had inherited from her parents, J. Martin and Leon Hudgins Diggs. Before Carole passed away she had given us the last quilt that Polly made, along with a note on it with additional

Information.”

Lori recounts their discovery of the trove of quilts, “ At the Hindman house, all three bedrooms had a quilt on the bed, and we found many more in each closet.  We then went into the attic where we found more, along with several handmade wool comforters. We feel blessed to be able to share these family heirlooms with the public.”  Some of the items on display will include  a baby quilt of Jay’s, and also one bed quilt made especially for him. More than 30 quilts were counted, with many of them being included in the exhibit. Accompanying the exhibit will be descriptions of the quilts, letters and notes and photographs.

There is a private showing on Thursday, October 3rd for Mathews Museum members.  And beginning October 4^th,  the museum will be open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday through the end of December.  For information on special tours, contact  804-695-4664 or email mathewsvamuseumfriends@gmail.com .For Museum hours and additional information, visit www.mathewsvamuseum.org. “