By Kevin Howell
In the last issue, I wrote about the discoveries my favorite navigator Jean and I made on our trek of the Mason County Cultural Heritage Trails, beginning with a tour of the area’s rich maritime history. This time around, we randomly chose the second of the six heritage trails to follow and landed on the Barn Quilt Trail.
Barn quilts? Not familiar with barn quilts, I pictured a big, quilted blanket draped over a barn to keep it warm. Well, let’s see where this trail leads.
As we did with the Maritime Trail, we headed west to Ludington and found our first stop at the Mason County Fairgrounds. Following the audio trail guide on our smartphone, we circled around livestock barns, domestic arts buildings, and a campground for RVs, horse trailers and the like.
There it was, the “barn quilt,” on the west end of the fairgrounds, between the old raceway and the highway – a painted block of wood patterned like a quilted blanket. So, that’s what a barn quilt is … huh.
We discovered, with help from mybluprint.com, barn quilts are not a new idea.
“Barn quilts have been around for hundreds of years,” the site stated. “In the past, farmers used different types of folk art, including these quilt-like blocks, to decorate their barns.”
They regained popularity in the early 2000s and usually tell a story. The quilt on the fairgrounds’ oldest barn is called Mariner’s Compass and is the first eight-foot by eight-foot quilt square in Mason County. It was created by Janice Shelley.
Onward, then, to the next on my abbreviated list of barn quilts to check out.
As always, the journey is half the fun, and Jean and I had heard about “Peter Pan Land,” a place along South Lakeshore Drive. We were anxious to find it as we traveled the Barn Quilt Trail.
But, first, another barn quilt, known as The Pine, also along the lakeshore at Historic White Pine Village. To get to it, we took Pere Marquette Highway south of Ludington and made the right turn onto Iris Road. There’s a little bait and convenience store known as Pere Marquette Expeditions on the corner which marks the turnoff. (You might find a copy of Freshwater Reporter there.) Iris Road is a pretty drive into the sandy dunelands on the lakeshore. We came to South Lakeshore Drive and turned right. Down through the dunes a couple miles is Mason County Historical Society’s White Pine Village.
“Do you see the quilt?” I asked my trusty navigator, as I scoured the buildings from the parking lot.
“It’s right there,” she replied.
“Where? … Oh, there it is,” I said, as it loomed big as day in front of me. That’s why I take my navigator along on these forays.
This quilt represents the heavily logged white pine trees that helped build the lumber enterprises of early Michigan timber barons like Justis Stearns. The quilt is on the north end of the Jorissen Barn. According to the audio guide, The Pine was mounted on Sept. 19, 2014, the official launch day of the Barn Quilt Trail.
Time for some more adventure.
“Hey navigator, how do I get to Peter Pan Land?”
Jean led me back up Lakeshore Drive, past Iris Road a couple miles. Just past Bradshaw Road, on the west side, we found a little pull-off at the top of a bluff above the lake. We parked in a string of other vehicles and set out on a sand trail. Along the trail were signs of an artist at work – painted designs on rocks and tree trunks spaced along the way.
“It’s a tenth of a mile,” Jean said, after we walked about a tenth of a mile. We came to a fork in the trail, where Jean said, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”
Good call, Jean … we took the fork. From the fork, we passed into a wooded area. As we broke through the trees, we stood at the top of another world – an amazing, spectacular panoramic view of Lake Michigan, lying about 300 feet below us and stretching to the western horizon. Watch your step; it’s a long, sheer drop to the lake.
We reluctantly headed back to the road and toward the south end of our trail for one last stop: The Jam Farm. The drive to the farm is a few miles south on Lakeshore Drive and east to 5075 West Meisenheimer Road. Having visited the farm a few times already for Jamlady’s delicious jams, I knew where it was and didn’t need my navigator for this one. Jamlady wasn’t in on this Wednesday – hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thurs.-Sat. – but the quilt, on the west end of a barn, was interesting. According to the guide:
“This quilt block, the Michigan Beauty, was part of a quilt called the Loyal Union Sampler. It derives from the Civil War, when 90,000 Michigan soldiers arrived to support President Lincoln’s efforts.”
Eleven barn quilts are found on the trail, and time and space don’t allow me to cover them all. Take yourself on the rest of the tour with the trail guide map found at masoncountyculture.com.
Stay tuned. My navigator and I will be back on the cultural trail soon.
