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Probably made by Mary Mize (American, born about 1834)
Quilt, about 1850-1855, cotton.
Purchased with funds from the Alice Speed Stoll Accessions Trust and gift of Shelly Zegart 2006.3

During the Civil War, Mary Mize and her multiracial family moved from Claiborne County, Tennessee to Clay County in southeastern Kentucky. In time this free family along with other African-American and multiracial families, formed a small community near the county seat of Manchester. This quilt was likely among the possessions brought to Kentucky by the Mize family. Evidence from census records and the family’s oral history suggests that it was probably crafted by a young Mary Mize. The pattern is an exceptional example of the “Princess Feather” pattern, a design that was popular at the time. The pattern typically has a small eight pointed star with four, six, or eight plumes radiating around it. This heirloom carries with it a history that reflects the complex patterns of change that affected the lives of Kentuckians at the time.