About the Barn Quilt Tour

The Carroll County Barn Quilt Trail is a collaborative project undertaken by the Carroll County Arts Council, the Carroll County Office of Tourism, the Carroll County Department of Recreation and Parks and the Carroll County Public Library. The program pays homage to Carroll’s agrarian history by installing 8-foot square quilt blocks on scenic barns throughout the county. The barn quilt tradition actually dates back many years when farmers used to paint Pennsylvania Dutch hex signs and other folk art designs on their barns. The first 12 quilt blocks in this project were chosen and painted by volunteers associated with the Carroll County Arts Council. The Carroll County Office of Tourism and the county’s agriculture development specialist worked with local farmers to place the quilts. The next 27 quilt blocks were chosen by the farm families themselves and printed by a local printing company. In many cases, these families created their own design or adapted an existing pattern so that each block is significant to their specific farming operation.