a collaborative series of exhibits and events celebrating the art of the quilt
Norwalk Town House
Collected & Cherished: Quilts made and collected in Norwalk
The Norwalk Historical Society maintains the Mill Hill Historic Park, a historic green space located in central Norwalk. Here, visitors find Norwalk’s intact 1825 schoolhouse and Gov. Thomas Fitch’s circa 1740 law office, an 18th century burying ground and the 1835 Federal Town House, built of bricks provided by Captain Lewis Raymond, who had used the material for ship ballast. This building was the traditional seat of government in Norwalk, and remained so until 1913, when Norwalk and the City of South Norwalk consolidated and the government moved to South Norwalk’s City Hall. A new addition to the site, the historic jail house, will open to the public in the future.
Collected & Cherished features a selection of Norwalk-made and Norwalk-collected quilts that come from organizations and individuals including the Connecticut Historical Society, the Stamford Historical Society, members, friends and the public. A highlight of the exhibit is the recent conservation of six of the Society’s own quilts, thanks to a grant from the Coby Foundation and Gail Wall. Quilts ranging from circa 1850 to 1950 will be on display, including log cabin designs in silk, baskets-and-wreath designs in cotton, a mariner’s quilt from the Selleck family, and yo-yo and printed cottons from the 1940s.