Truman residents gettting creative

Rare in Minnesota, community hopes barn quilts will draw tourists

Sarah Zenk Blossom

TRUMAN — One small town in southern Minnesota has found a fun and unique way to share its rural landscape, creative talents and community values with visitors.

In hopes of persuading tourists to consider southern Minnesota a weekend destination, Truman residents have begun creating barn quilts. Barn quilts are colorful painted squares that are most commonly hung on buildings, such as sheds, garages, barns, or businesses, though squares may also be free-standing signs.

The idea began when Marilyn Carrigan of the Truman Historical Association Museum drove through Iowa, noting the variety of barn quilts in the state.

“You can go through this route of barn quilts, and they call that a quilt trail. A lot of the Iowa counties have quilt trails,” Carrigan says.

Barn quilts also can be found in Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania and South Carolina, but they’re rare in Minnesota, she said.

“I liked the barn quilts — they were so colorful and eye-catching, and it’s fun to see them — and brought the idea to our museum. We agreed that we would make one.”

Carrigan approached the Community Club in Truman and asked if they would like to participate in a quilt trail. Pat Jones was among the members.

“Several years ago, I had traveled along Highway 71 in northwestern Iowa and had noticed all the barn quilts, and absolutely fell in love with them, and thought, ‘Someday, I’d like to have one on my barn,’” Jones said. “Marilyn’s suggestion got me to thinking, ‘I wanted to do that before, and now I’m going to do it.’”

Though barn-quilting businesses have sprung up in other states where quilt trails are popular, all of the Truman barn quilts were painted by Truman residents. The Truman Historical Association Museum offers instructions on how to create a barn quilt and become involved in the quilt tour. And the museum is in the process of creating brochures and maps to guide visitors along the trail.

Truman’s barn quilt squares range in size from 4 feet to 12 feet. Many of the quilts depict traditional patchwork patterns like “Starburst,” “Fencepost” and “Harvest Star.” While some quilters have chosen a pattern for its unique aesthetic appeal, other quilters incorporate symbols of family or heritage into their quilts.

DeLores Pfeil describes her family’s quilt square, “In A Heartbeat,” as an original pattern that features four red hearts symbolizing the Pfeils’ four children. The design also incorporates arrows, as “pfeil” is the German word for “arrow.”

Currently, there are seven barn quilts at six locations in and around Truman, with more potential barn quilters becoming interested over time. Jones has heard from several people who plan to create quilt squares on their barns.

Carrigan said the quilt tour has “taken off on its own,” as it has garnered positive reviews and increasing word-of-mouth publicity. “There’s been a real interest from people in the community, as well as those driving by,” she says.

Once in town, visitors can expect an easy drive of approximately 12 miles to visit all of Truman’s barn quilts. For visitors driving from Mankato, the tour begins two miles north of Truman at a big red barn, progresses through downtown Truman, and wraps up about six miles outside of town at a residence.