Dale Brown Book Award winner Dr. Janneken Smucker spoke at Elizabethtown College Tuesday, Feb. 20 at 7:30 p.m. Smucker, author and associate professor of History at West Chester University, wrote a book titled “Amish Quilts.” The award is given to an individual who advances Anabaptist or pious religions.

“I knew that there would be interest in the concept based upon my knowledge of people’s interests in quilts and Amish history,” Smucker said. “I wanted to write a book that would be beautiful and informative at the same time.”

Her primary goal in her research was to answer the question, “How can a quilt stem from a paradox of modern art and simultaneously be considered a country souvenir?”which she asked the audience. Smucker learned that only a few people even knew about Amish styled quilts in the 1900s.

“Amish women in the 19th century first began making quilts, and then started catering to the needs of their consumers,” she explained.

Smucker spoke about how quilts are more than simply their aesthetic beauty and talented craftsmanship.

“What I most love about quilts is the relationship they have to the makers, owners and keepers of them,” Smucker said.

Smucker collected data about quilts and the stories of the makers through oral history.

Oral history is when an individual discovers new ideas or concepts through speaking to another person or groups of people.

Smucker spoke with a number of individuals for her work. One of the first items she bought after deciding on her research project was a digital audio-recorder.

“The best stories come from the interviewee’s mouth,” she said.

One man she interviewed is believed to own the first Amish quilt. Jonathan Holstein, the owner of the quilt, remembers purchasing it from a small antique shop on route 30 in Pennsylvania. The storekeeper wanted him to buy the bed and the quilt together. Holstein was only interested in the quilt and bought it for $5.75.

At the lecture, Smucker invited two of her friends to share their own quilt stories. The first speaker, Gloria Mast, who grew up in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, discussed how quilts were a part of her family history.

“My favorite part about quilts is their textile of entrepreneurship and textile of commerce,” Mast said. “Quilts were a way of income for women and a way to provide for her family.”

Mast’s ancestors were Amish farmers. One of Mast’s most memorable relatives was her great-aunt Lydia Beiler. Her great-aunt worked as a housecleaner for many years of her life. After she retired from that job, she decided to learn how to quilt.

“Lydia wanted to become involved in the industry because she heard that it was marketable,” Mast explained.

Beiler became good at creating quilts and began selling them to people all over the world.

The second speaker, Ben Riehl, talked about how his father, David Riehl, served as an Amish connection selling quilts to non-Amish people. Ben’s father was a good businessman and knew how to get the Amish to sell their quilts.

“Dad knew that economics trumped the artistic and sentimental values of the quilts,” Riehl said.

Riehl’s father sold the quilts to the affluent upper east residents. Riehl senior was well-known by the New Yorkers.

“They tried to build the best relationship with Dad,” Riehl stated. “What was most important to Dad was the shops that would pay him what he wanted with the least amount of hassle.”

Similarly to the guest speakers, Smucker also had a connection to quilts. As a teenager, she became interested in making her own quilt.

“I loved everything about it, picking out the patterns, going to the store, selecting my fabric,” she said.

Her mother and grandmother aided her in the process.

“My grandmother is a prolific quilter,” Smucker said.

A visitor from Elizabethtown, Judy Scharf, said that when she first moved to the area she wanted to find women who quilted.

“Threads bind more than fabric; they bind friendships too,” she said.

Her two best friends attended the event with her. Scharf’s friend, Elizabethtown resident, Jo Garvin loves quilting.

“I relish spending time with people who have the same interests as me,” Garvin stated.

Elizabethtown resident Laurie Williamson knows her friends from their mutual commitment to the Winter Heritage House group.

“Once you meet a quilter, it’s full circle,” she explained. “I have so many close friends through it; they are such nice people!”

Smucker believes that history is important to her for several reasons.

“I’m most interested in what history tells about who we are today,” she said. “Learning about history makes you more knowledgeable, and it is essential to realize that everything and everyone has a history. You just have to pay close enough attention to find out what it is.”