A rural Virginia county gains an artistic awareness of itself.
I live in the smallest, most rural county in Virginia. The scenery of Highland County’s five high Appalachian valleys is so stunning that I try to remind myself every day to stop and appreciate it as if I were a visitor. Not only is the view a beautiful part of where I live, the continued line of generational knowledge makes us unique. Many families here can trace their lineage back to the original pioneers who crossed the mountains in the 1700s.
The beauty and heritage of this place came together in 2011 when Highland launched the first Barn Quilt trail in Virginia. That trail has grown to include over 60 wooden quilt squares displayed on barns in all five valleys, and the chamber of commerce just released a new brochure which makes finding them a delight. Perhaps the most interesting part of the brochure is that each square is introduced with a story explaining how a family chose its pattern.
My own barn sports a square based on the pattern “Eight Hands Around” because at the time that I painted it, my children were still living at home and there were eight hands working our farm. I’ll have to pull it down and replace it with one that represents the new hands that have joined us as our family grows. Many of the barn quilts here represent generational stories and generational stewardship of the land. We hope you’ll visit and see for yourself the beauty and mountain heritage that we are proud to share.
You can find more information here: highlandcounty.org/barn-quilt-trail
The story above appears in our January/February 2021 issue.
