Morgan Hill Historical Society - History Quilt
In the summer of 1989 nearly thirty members of AAUW Morgan Hill volunteered to create a quilt depicting MH landmarks. They were motivated by a desire to preserve pictures of some local sites that were fast disappearing.
My interest in writing about the history of the AAUW quilt came from my association with the Morgan Hill Historical Society. I am a docent for the field trip program where local school children tour the grounds and buildings of Villa Mira Monte. The quilt is displayed in the bedroom of the 1911 Acton House, the Society’s museum.
Students have fun recognizing the landmarks on the squares, such as El Toro Mountain and the photos of Diana Murphy Hill and Hiram Morgan Hill. At the foot of the bed is a binder with photos of the original group of quilters proudly holding their squares. Six of the original group are still living in Morgan Hill and have continued to maintain their AAUW membership.
Nancy Brown recalls that the idea for the quilt came from branch members Ruth Farwell and Lynne McCaw. Ruth owned a fabric shop on Monterey where the quilting interest group met. However, most of the members who participated in the project had never worked on a quilt before.
Carolyn Wilson volunteered for the project because she wanted to learn to quilt. She got the idea for her square showing one of the historic El Camino Real bells that she had seen along Highway 101 and added the Morgan Hill railroad station as a hometown connection.
The local railroad station was also Carol Holzgrafe’s quilt square choice because of its importance to commuters in the community.
Jean Skeels Pinard
One of the deceased quilters, Jean Skeels Pinard, memorialized a scene from the career of her father, Lloyd Skeels, a former constable of Morgan Hill. Her square shows him, gun in hand, apprehending two bank robbers. It includes his famous line, “Reach for the sky or die!”
Linda Tarvin
Linda Tarvin, a charter member of the branch, remembers that a notice was posted in the newsletter asking for volunteers to work on the quilt project. She liked the idea of preserving local history and created a square for the 21 Mile House. Situated 21 miles from San Jose, it was popular with travelers as a place to stop to get a bite to eat and water their horses. A plaque on an oak tree at Tennant Station now stands as a reminder of the former location of the house.
Patti Trantow
Patti Trantow, another charter member, had never made a quilt piece before she agreed to help with the project. She remembers receiving a bag of fabric and a picture of a 1926 Seagraves fire engine. Patti was relieved when her square was completed and thankful for the talented ladies who sewed it all together.
Beth Wyman
Karen Parks chose to display the Grange because it symbolized a place for the community to meet. Local prune orchards were the inspiration for Marianne Thornton. Former mayor Beth Wyman picked the Madrone Water Tower.
—
The group didn’t meet in traditional quilting bee fashion. Each woman worked on her square individually with the final assembly done mostly by Ruth Farwell.
The quilt was presented to the Historical Society on December 10, 1989, at Living History Days at Villa Mira Monte. It was first displayed on a frame in the Morgan Hill House, then was moved to the Museum bedroom when the Acton House was relocated to the Society’s grounds from West Main Avenue.
The women who worked on the quilt created a beautiful historical memory of local landmarks. They brought attention to AAUW, and affirmed that Morgan Hill is a thriving community, as it is to this day.
Donna Dicker, member of the AAUW Friday Writers
The Historical Museum at Villa Mira Monte is open Saturdays, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm.