Miriam Bunow

August 2, 2016

Sesquicentennial Maryland Emancipation Quilt on Display at Red Brick Courthouse

MCAACHquilt
Sesquicentennial 1864 Slave Emancipation Quilt, image from MCAAHC.

President Abraham Lincoln’s September 1862 Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves in states throughout the South that had rebelled against the Union. Maryland was not a confederate state, so slavery continued until Maryland’s 3rd Constitutional Convention Article 24 was ratified on November 1, 1864, finally emancipating Maryland’s enslaved men, women, and children. For the 150th anniversary of emancipation in Maryland, the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture (MCAAHC) commissioned a quilt to visualize the stories of people, places, and events in every Maryland county and Baltimore City before, at the time of, or after the ratification of Article 24. The Sesquicentennial 1864 Maryland Slave Emancipation Quilt was designed by Dr. Joan M. E. Gaither, fiber artist and quilt designer. The creation of and coordination of this state-wide community quilting project involved many individual participants and organizations from around the state. The quilt measures 10 feet by 4 feet, 4 inches and represents the input of more than 400 people and more than 6,000 hours. Peerless Rockville is pleased to have this quilt on loan and invites the public to come view this amazing piece. The quilt will be on display at the Red Brick Courthouse through September 16th.

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