East Tennessee Barn Quilt Trail

Crouch Barn at Oak Hill Farm

Since the late 1700s, the Crouch family has been farming at Oak Hill Farm in Washington County, Tennessee. Father and son, Larry and Jason Crouch oversee the tobacco farming operation at Oak Hill Farm. The Crouch Barn Rose of Sharon Block displayed on the barn was painted by the Daniel Boone High School Art Department as a class project. The quilt pattern is inspired by an old family quilt that the owners grandmother once owned.

"Melodies and Memories"

Homestead Farm

The Basket of Chips quilt block is copied from a quilt pieced by Frances Leona Crumley, mother of the current owner of Homestead Farm. Dating back to 1784, the Homestead Farm carries with it the Civil War story of Confederate soldier Alfred J. King (1839-1865) and brother of Elizabeth King Crumley, and Union soldier, Lafayette Miller (1841-1865) who were both killed at this site. A party of Union men was sent to arrest and bring to justice Mr. King and Jim Crumley for “committing some acts of misdemeanor.” Mr. King was being guarded by Lafayette Miller while the remainder of the party was searching for Crumley. Unexpectedly, King wrenched the pistol from the hands of young Miller and “shot him dead upon the spot.” Friends of Miller heard the pistol and reached the place in time to see King trying to escape at full speed. They fired upon him, killing him. The story is recorded in Brownlow’s Knoxville Whig, in the East Tennessee State University Library. James Crumley, his wife and five of his children are also buried in the cemetery on the farm.

Moon Creek Farm

A variation of Gentleman's Fancy is the pattern on the barn at Moon Creek Farm. The farm is named after the Moon Creek that runs through a portion of the property

Larry Thompson Farm

Larry Thompson Farm has been in operation for over 50+years. Now in the 4th generation of the family, Larry Thompson Jr runs the hay farm. The quilt block that adorns the barn is known as Tulip Pattern

Farm at Spring Creek

The quilt pattern is called Snow Crystal which was typically made with three colors of fabric; Dark blue, light blue and white. The completed quilt would have a definite winter look with somewhat of a snowflake pattern. The patriarch of the farm is a retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel so a slight color scheme change was made to replace the light blue with red. This allowed them to show a bit of patriotism with their heritage quilt design by using Red, White & Blue.

St. John Barn

The St. John Milling Company has a history of over 200 years continuous operation in the Watauga area of Washington County, Tennessee. Today, the St. John Farm and Mill is Tennessee’s oldest business. Due to their Dutch heritage the family owns several ‘Little Dutch’ quilts made by various skilled hands over the generations.

Alpacas de Colores Farm

Formerly the Devoe Farm; Alpacas de Colores Farm is a full time Alpaca Ranch in Jonesborough, TN. The ‘Lone Star’ quilt square was painted by the Art Class at Crockett High Washington County

Renfro Quilt Barn

The Renfro farm was established in 1824. Located in Blaine, Tennessee, it has been designated as a Century Farm and holds clues to the history and heritage of the Appalachian region

Embree House Historic Farm

The bold quilt mural that hangs on this tobacco barn faces the entrance to the historic Embree House and Farm. The five patterns were chosen by the owners and are meant to represent centuries of rich history. The center is the Chained Star, which represents slavery; at the top is the Farmer’s Field, for the land’s history; on the right is the Box Block, this represents the Emancipation newspapers; at the bottom is Lincoln’s Platform; and on the left, is the Underground Railroad pattern. Dating back to 1791, on land that was owned by Tennessee's first governor, John Sevier, this eventually became home to Elihu Embree who was an antislavery activist and editor of the abolitionist newspaper, The Emancipator. The grounds were part of the Underground Railroad as well as the site of a Civil War battle.

Nolichucky Bend Farm