Pioneering Preservation: The Utah Quilt Heritage Photograph Collection

- July 22, 2025

Pioneering Preservation: The Utah Quilt Heritage Photograph Collection

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If you have photographs of quilts or other archival documents about quilting to add to the project,

use this form.

The art and craft of quilting has been practiced by women from all over the globe for centuries and the

pioneer women who

came to Utah have certainly earned their stripes in this endeavor. Not only did these women come to

Utah toting treasured quilts, they remained prolific in the making of quilts once they settled in Utah.

Utah’s history of quilting points to a rich collection of early American folk art. Today, quilting remains

a practiced art in Utah, with many quilters being members of the Utah Quilt Guild, which was founded

in 1977.

In order to preserve the quilts being made, the guild volunteers organized “documentation days” where people throughout the state photographed their quilts. These quilt photographs and accompanying data – ranging from the 1880s to the 1950s – have been contributed to Special Collections at the Marriott Library and are included in the Digital Library. The collection description can be found in the finding aid Utah Quilt Heritage Photograph Collection.

Learn more:

“Upstairs in the old adobe house was an old spinning wheel and wool card the Mary Magdalene carded and spun wool. Some of this wool she wove into the coverlet, to make the coverlet she bought banks of cotton thread and used the white cotton as a warp and the red and blue as a filler. She was the mother of 12 children. She died 24 Aug. 1915 at the age of 94.”

– Jean Mabey Barker, great granddaughter of Mary Magdalene Garn (Visit the collection)

“One of the neat things about the collection is that each quilt photograph is accompanied by a data sheet that lists details about the quilt such as dimensions, how the quilt was sewed, the types of fabrics used and how all of the pieces came together,” explains Virginia Lee, past president of the Guild. “You also find little tidbits peppered here and there that paint the picture of the quilter and their way of life.”

In addition to the quilt creator, the current owner is listed. In some cases, the quilts and their creators go back to the early 19th century. One such quilter by the name of Mary Magdalene Fought (Vogt) Garn arrived in Utah in 1855 and settled in the Centerville area. After her husband passed just four years after they arrived, Mary was left with eight children to raise and a farm to run.

Says Virginia, “The fact that the quilts and their creators are preserved in Special Collections is wonderful because it means that anyone at any time can learn about the quilts and the heritage around them. It’s like stepping back in time.”

Those who have a quilt to add to the archive can Use this form to submit materials to the collection.

“I just want people to know how much good is being done with quilts. Quilters from all over this state make quilts for hospitals, nursing homes and others in need. There are quilt auctions that raise money for charity, there are quilters teaching free classes and donating their extra fabric so that quilts can be made by people who cannot afford fabric. Quilting brings people together and enormous good comes from this quilting community.”

Virginia Lee, past president of the Utah Quilt Guild, poses with the quilt “Virginia’s Quilt” which her grandmother started and Virginia finished.

University of Utah Press Publication

Gathered in Time: Utah Quilts and Their Makers, Settlement to 1950

When Elizabeth Pengelly Betenson and her family finally arrived in Beaver, Utah in 1855, she brought eight leather-bound trunks from her home in England. They were laden with household items such as linens, plates and the family Bible. But the most highly treasured item was the quilt she had made in 1850, Log Cabin, Barn Raising Setting.

While the Log Cabin pattern was common at that time, Elizabeth’s quilt was unique because she used black silk around the three-inch blocks and velvet in the centers, making it an eye-popping, stunning example of both art and craft. Elizabeth’s quilt, and more than 80 others, are documented in the book, Gathered in Time: Utah Quilts and Their Makers, Settlement to 1950 (University of Utah Press, 1997).