TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) – We’ve taken you on many of the trails that crisscross Ohio. A beer trail, a barn mural trail, and an ice cream trail, just to name a few. Now is the time to visit the Ottawa County Quilt Trail.

Many beautiful barns are stitched across the Ohio landscape and some of Ottawa County’s barns include special works of art. They are part of what is called the Ottawa County Quilt Trail.

“I hope to help keep people interested in the art as well as the history of some of the older barns,” said Barn Quilt Trail committee member Marcia Jess.

Jess said the first quilt trail in the United States was started in Adams County, Ohio in 2001. In Ottawa County, it all started in 2017. Today, there has a total of 33 stops on the Ottawa County Trail.

“People came forward and said that sounds like a good idea, I’d like one in my barn. They were looking through books or had a favorite design from their family that they wanted to put on their barn,” Jess said.

Jess said each barn quilt is its own work of art.

“A lot of them tell a story. The first one on the trail was done by the Junior 4-H Leadership Club and they created a design similar to the 4-H shamrock,” Jess said.

Jess added that some of the barn quilts are simple and others are more elaborate.

“At first they were pretty simple, a square from a larger quilt, and others looked like a whole quilt. It depends on the designer and the barn owner,” Jess said.

The materials used to make them have changed over time, but Jess pointed out that all the quilts in the barn are the same size.

“Eight feet by eight. They started out as wooden squares, but then we moved to aluminum composite squares. We wanted them to be big enough to be seen from the road in a large barn,” Jess said.

Quinton Babcock is mayor of Oak Harbor and vice president of the Greater Port Clinton Area Arts Council. He said the trail is free, family fun.

“A lot of people are interested or have experience in crafting and quilting, and it’s cool to see something you’re used to doing in a much bigger way. It’s fun to drive through the countryside and see things you’ve never seen before,” Babcock said.

Some people dedicate a day to hiking the trail, stopping for lunch, or visiting other county attractions.

“It’s the perfect time of year to take a drive, admire the quilts and participate in other fall activities,” Babcock said.

The quilts in the barn all have names, including The Four Sisters, My Four Sons, Rings and Things, Egg Basket, Grandma’s Flower Garden, and Sunbonnet Sue. The trail includes stops throughout Ottawa County and a beautiful map guides you along the way.

“One of the things we’ve talked about is trying to get more information about each barn as well as the quilts. This could be our next step to include this in the whole journey,” Babcock said.

The last quilt at the Ottawa County Barn was completed in 2022. You can view the trail during the day, every day of the year. Many people visit a few at a time

If you would like to know more, Click here. You can also visit ottawacountyhistory.org.

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