Historic Quilt Gives Glimpse Into North Reading's Past

Communities across the nation held special events in honor of the country’s Bicentennial in 1976.

Towns held parades, banquets and dinners and created commemorative items to remember the celebration.

In North Reading, a small group of crafty residents banded together to create a quilt that not only honored the country’s 200^th birthday, but looked into North Reading’s past.

The quilt will be on display at the . She will share photos of quilts and their stories from the MassQuilts book titled “Massachusetts Quilts: Our Common Wealth.”

The Bicentennial Quilt, which was created by the North Parish Quilters and North Reading historical society, was started in June 1975 and completed in August 1976. The quilters reproduced 21 North Reading scenes, including landmarks still with us -- and those long since departed.

Scenes of the Putnam House, Flint Memorial Library and the Town Meetinghouse are on the quilt along with the old North Reading train station and the old fire house, as well as a blacksmith, a postal wagon and a scene of logging in North Reading. The eight people who created the quilt stitched their names on the back.

The Bicentennial Quilt has been well preserved and looks fantastic – especially given its age. The quilt has been stored in the historical society’s collection, but we will proudly display it at the May 3 event so everyone can look back at the incredible work a small group of individuals did nearly 40 years ago to commemorate the Bicentennial and celebrate North Reading.

Flip through the photos to see a few shots of the quilt.

As we get closer to our event on May 3, I will post more close-ups of the quilt so you can get a better look at this great piece of North Reading history.