Enter Trail #23, the White County Quilt Trail

The White County Quilt Trail was developed by Christie Davis. She hosted a barn quilt painting class at her Rolling Meadows Nursery and Garden Center in Rose Bud and also searched out other barn quilts in the county. White County is the second largest county in Arkansas based on land area of 1,042 square miles. The eastern part is used more for farming and timber while the western side with its hills and rocky terrain is used more for cattle ranching. The Little Red River forms the eastern boundary of the county. Towns in the county include Bald Knob, Beebe, Bradford, Judsonia, Kensett, Letona, McRae, Pangburn, Romance, Rose Bud, and Searcy. The town of Romance is a popular choice from which people across the country mail their wedding invitations and valentines. Rose Bud is home of Rozark Hills Roasterie Inc. where they roast and grind eight signature blends of coffee to ship far and wide. Their coffee beans come from every coffee-growing area of the world. Searcy is the White County seat and the home of Harding University and Arkansas State University-Beebe. The Harding Bisons won the NCAA Division II Football Championship in 2023. Searcy is also home to Yarnell’s Ice Cream which began in 1932 and still produces premium ice cream today. White County claims the largest county fair in Arkansas based on gate entries. White County has much to offer. There are lots of historical landmarks along with historical cemeteries. The White County Courthouse was built in 1871, and it is said it is the oldest operating courthouse in Arkansas. Enjoy your drive to see the White County Quilt Trail!

#23-1, American Annie, is located at 434 Hwy 5, Rose Bud, Arkansas 72137. It’s fastened to the porch pillar next to the front steps of Rolling Meadows Nursery and Garden Center, LLC. Owner Christie Davis shares: My husband and I started our venture here at Rolling Meadows Nursery and Garden Center, LLC on September 5, 2022. We have loved meeting new people and having conversations with them. We started out in the smaller building next to us and then had the opportunity to move into the bigger building. Since then, we have had several classes here in the store. Back in November 2023 we had the Cleburne County Barn Quilt Coordinator come and teach a class. While doing so she talked me into becoming the White County Coordinator. Because I was then the White County Coordinator, we thought it best for me to take the class as well. We chose Annie’s Choice pattern because our first granddaughter and my mother-in-law’s name is Annie and wanted to represent America, so we used red, white, and blue paint. There are a lot of military servers in my family, and this honors them. That is how we came up with the name American Annie. We first saw barn quilts when we made our trip to Kentucky a few years ago. And then coming back home we saw them in Tennessee. I was intrigued by them. I wanted one for myself. I had thought it should be simple enough to draw it out on a board and paint it. But there is way more to it than that. My Barn Quilt is not without its mistakes for sure. Someone with ADHD has a hard time focusing on the picture if there is a lot going on around them and that is me, lol. It just adds character. I love quilting and all my grandmothers quilted along with my mother-in-law. They taught me what I do know about quilting. My dad even knew how to quilt. He made a Double Wedding Ring.

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#23-2, Annie’s Choice is located at 331 Valley View Road, Rose Bud, AR 72137. To see this one, you need to pull into the circle driveway in front of the house. It is by the door on the front of the long brown barn to the right of the house. It is 12”x12”. Juanita Daniels loves to do crafts. When Rolling Meadows Nursery and Garden Center, LLC decided to host a barn quilt class she decided to come to the class. This is her first barn quilt, and this is how she became interested in them. Her grandmother was a quilter and she herself is a hobbyist seamstress for family and friends.

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#23-3, Daniels’ Hummingbird, is also located at 331 Valley View Rd. Rose Bud, AR. To get to it you should pull into the circle and drive in front of the house. It is located on the right side of the front door of house. Juanita had so much fun painting her first barn quilt that she decided to do another one. While looking in the Arkansas Barn Quilt Trail brochure she saw this pattern (Van Buren County) and decided she loved it. She loves hummingbirds and when she and her husband moved to this location she started to have dozens of hummingbirds every year. She enjoyed making this one and she is going to make another one soon. The story behind the next one will be very special to her. So, keep a look out for her next block.

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#23-4, Carpenters Wheel, is located at 165 R. G. Davis Rd, Romance, AR 72136 on the side of the metal barn setting back off the road but before you get to the driveway. I have always loved quilts and quilt patterns. Both of my grandmothers were quilters and some of my early memories are of playing under the quilt frame that hung from the ceiling in each of their homes. My maternal grandmother was an applique quilter. I have a beautiful Dutch Doll quilt that she made for me when I graduated from high school. My paternal grandmother was a piece quilter. Bow Tie became one of her favorite patterns and I have a Double Wedding Ring quilt that she and my great-aunt made for me. My first quilt, a four-patch pattern, was sewn by my fingers when I was 8 or 9. My grandmother then reinforced it and quilted it for me. My husband’s grandmother was also a quilter and I have a beautiful Log Cabin quilt that she made for us. It was my favorite pattern for many years. But now, I love my Carpenters Wheel. It was painted for me by my daughter for Christmas 2022, using my favorite colors. She chose this pattern because my husband has been doing carpentry work for 40+ years as his grandfather did before him. The wooden frame, is made from barn wood, recovered from a 100+ year old barn that stood on my husband’s family land in Birta, in Yell County Arkansas.  I first became aware of quilt trails on a trip we took through Kentucky several years ago. We got on a trail by accident and were amazed at the old barns and beautiful quilt patterns on display. I have wanted a quilt block to display ever since that trip. I hope that people will enjoy my quilt block as much as I have enjoyed seeing others and I am very excited to now be a part of one of the trails.

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#23-5, Home Star, is located at 4422 West Highway 36, Searcy, Arkansas 72143. Mrs. Reva Townsend’s barn quilt started out as a traditional Ohio Star, but she made it her own by adding extra to it and named it Home Star. It is on the East side of the outbuilding farthest from her home. Reva and her husband, Mr. Dewey Townsend moved into their home in 2014. They inherited the land from Dewey’s parents after they passed. His parents bought the land around 1956. Mr. Dewey’s mom, Mrs. Eloise Townsend was a quilt maker. Reva wanted to do a barn quilt in her honor so, Mr. Dewey drew it out for her. Then she painted it. Reva also had other quilters in the family as well.

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#23-6, John Deere Green, is located at 372 Graham Rd. Rose Bud, AR. It is on the garage attached to the house. You can see it as soon as you turn onto Graham Rd. on the right. Marilyn Townsend and her husband like John Deere Tractors. Marilyn became intrigued by the barn quilts that she saw in other places and wanted one. Her daughter in-law was trying to figure out what to get her for Christmas so when she found out she wanted a barn quilt she got her one along with her daughter as well. Mrs. Townsend’s granddaughter has tractors as well but hers is red. Mrs. Townsend now has one with the John Deere Colors and her daughter one with the colors of her tractors. They decided where it needed to go and her son installed it.

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#23-7, The Jones Star, is located at 2359 Highway 5, El Paso, Arkansas. It is on the south side of the building near the highway. Mrs. Marisue first got interested in barn quilts on a trip she had taken through Tennessee. Then she saw the trail in Stone County and decided she wanted one. She looked through different patterns and found the one she wanted and had someone paint it for her. She decided she wanted it to be patriotic. The barn quilt reminded her of her mother Mrs. Chloe, who had made lots of quilts to keep her family warm. Mrs. Marisue still had many of her mother’s quilts. She kept one and gave the others to her grandchildren so they would have something of hers.

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#23-8, Kaylor’s Navy Star, is located at 291 Turner Rd. Rose Bud, AR 72137. Just above the Barn Quilt is a plaque that honors the Navy Men. Kaylor’s Navy Star is done in the Navy colors to honor all the Navy men in the family. Rena Kaylor’s husband, Mike Kaylor, is retired from the Navy. Same with her dad and her 2 brothers. She and her husband live on the home place that has been own by the family for years. She became interested in Barn Quilts and decided when her friend started making them, to have her to paint her one. She wanted something that says home but also honors the Navy men in the family.

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#23-9, LeMoyne Star, is located at 167 Ki Ke Acres Rd. Searcy, AR. It is on the right side of the road on the front of her house. Mrs. Debbie Likert and her husband have done a lot of traveling in their time and some of the traveling was on a motorcycle. Amongst those travels she has come across many barn quilts. Because she is a quilter herself, she became intrigued. She loved to collect old sewing machines. At one time she had about 50 but now only about 10. She got tired of trying to find someone to quilt her tops for her that she went out and bought a longarm. She loves to quilt and give them as gifts to friends and family. They decided to remodel the bathroom and in order to do what they wanted they had to remove the window. She needed something to cover the window, so she decided to paint her a barn quilt. She had to stretch the pattern to make it fit the window but. It worked great.

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#23-10, Peggy’s Barn Quilts, are located at 186 Honey Hill Loop, Searcy, Arkansas. She has two on her mailbox, some on the porch, some on her garden shed in the corner of her yard, and she has several inside the house. The one on the porch is a porch leaner sign which is changed out with the seasons. The ones on the mailbox and garden shed stay year-round. They are mostly one-by-one. As soon as you come around the curve before her house you will spot the mailbox with the barn quilts on the left and her house is on the right. You can then see the porch leaner and then on the left side of the house in front corner of yard is the garden shed, which there is one on side and some on the back. Peggy loves to sew clothing and take old dolls and repair them and their clothes. She also loves to paint. She is not a quilter though. She grew up in Northern Indiana near Amish Communities and she loved the quilts and things that they made. Barn quilts are her way of making quilts. She makes them as a hobby for herself, family, friends and even fundraisers. Her husband has even dabbled a bit with the painting barn quilts.

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#23-11, Ohio Star, is located at 11 Country Club Circle, Searcy, Arkansas, next to the garage. When you turn onto Country Club Circle, Marka’s house is on the right-hand side, and you should see the barn quilt as you come to it. Marka Bennett was raised on a farm in Texas. Her grandmother and her mother were quilters. She has always loved antique and rustic things. Inside her home is all decorated with rustic décor. She has lots of quilts that were made by her grandmother and mother among others. While visiting some friends in Ohio she came across the barn quilts on the barns. She became intrigued by them. She came home and did research on barn quilts and decided she wanted one even though she did not have a barn and she wanted to show people you could have one in town as well. She chose the Ohio Star because she has always loved the simplicity of it.

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#23-12. Lilly, is located at 104 W. Main, Letona, AR. The owner is Donna Waller. You can find it on the west side of the house by turning down Hotel Street. Letona is a small White County community about 10 miles north of Searcy on Hwy 310. It was the first White County community to rise to prosperity as a stop on the Missouri and North Arkansas Railroad. It became the center of the timber industry and agriculture. John and Nancy Magness, the first white settlers in White County, settled in this area in the early 1800’s. In 1815, this area was named Letona. It remained undeveloped until around the beginning of the twentieth century. The Doniphan Lumber Company built a Lumber mill in the area. That is when Letona began to come alive. In 1900, the building that Donna calls home, then was built by J A West as a general mercantile and post office. The post office was first named after the first postmaster, Asa Cox. But, around 1908 when the Railroad was built through the community the post office was renamed to Letona. In 1910, there was a hotel built which still stands today behind Donna’s home. At some point the original owner sold to Mr. and Mrs. Horne. Donna worked for the post office for about seven or eight years. After the post office was moved to a different location, Mrs. Horne decided to sell the building. She knew Donna’s mom well, so she asked if she wanted to buy it. Donna and her mom decided to go in together and buy it. Donna’s mom opened up a beauty store in one side and Donna opened up a ceramic store on the other side. Her mom held ceramic and painting classes in the back. It was after her mom’s death that she became sole owner of the building. It sat there for a while. She decided she wanted to sell but for some reason or other she was not able to sell. She then decided to live in it so, she spoke with her cousin who is a contractor about remodeling it into an apartment. He said he could do it so, she sold some land to pay for the remodel. By looking at it today you wouldn’t know there used to be big store front windows in front . She kept the wooden planks in the ceiling. It looks amazing. There is a lot of history in this home. Donna chose this barn quilt because she thought it was bear paws and she loves bear paws. Unfortunately it turns out it is not, but she still loves the barn quilt anyway.

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#23-13, A Sister’s Love is located at 436 Hubert Williams Rd. Judsonia, Arkansas. It is on the front of Rhonda’s Hair Shop, on her covered porch. You will have to pull into the drive to see it.  Sisterly love, “The bond between sisters is an emotional lifeline, weaving hearts together in a tapestry of love.” This quilt block was painted for Rhonda by her sister, Reva, for a Christmas Gift a few years back. Their grandmother was a quilter and she still has some that she had quilted. Her sister has one on this trail which is #23-5, “The Home Star”.  Reva wanted her sister to have one too, so she painted her one as well.

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#23-14, Sunbeam Crossroads is at 940 Clay Rd., Pangburn AR at “That Lucky Stitches.” Jessica Colleen Goodwin is a quilter of over twenty years, starting on a 1935 Singer Pedal sewing machine purchased at an auction for forty dollars. She’s been married for twenty-three years to longtime love Sampson Goodwin. He has believed in her dream of “That Lucky Stitches” so much so that he has built the little shop on the back country road. Nestled in the small town of Pangburn, Arkansas is “That Lucky Stitches” quilt shop. Although the name suggests luck, the couple knows that it’s first God, demanding work, and a lot of prayers that makes “That Lucky Stitches” possible. Sunbeam crossroads quilt block represents all the choices along the journey of 23 years of marriage.  For this reason, “That Lucky Stiches” owner chose this pattern to be on the quilt trail.  Life will lead to numerous decisions that will lead onto more. Sometimes you come to a Sunbeam crossroads and it’s difficult to make just the right choice. Choosing to purchase that 1935 Singer Pedal sewing machine was a part of “That Lucky Stitches.”  Sunbeam Crossroads. Choosing to quilt at seventeen when nobody else thought it was cool. Jessica chose the Sunbeam Crossroad block from “The Quilters Album of Patchwork Patterns,” by Jinny Beyer. Sunbeam Crossroad, Nancy Cabot, Chicago Tribune, Dec. 25, 1935. “One of the oldest of middle western patterns is this delightful little pieced block with such a cheerful name.  Sunbeam Crossroads first was made in Ohio about 1854.”

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#23-15, Diamond Dimensions, is at 1991 Hwy 64 West., El Paso, AR on Judy and Tom Riley’s red barn. The quilt can be observed by way of the highway, or by one of two drives entering the property. Visitors looking at the barn quilt should pull into the westmost drive. Places to turn around are available. The property was owned by the McCorkle family for generations and is now an Airbnb. The current owners, who live next door, purchased the property in 2023 and wanted to keep the traditions established by the original owners. Danny McCorkle was known as “The Trunk Man.” He refinished the exteriors and his wife Lynne restored the interiors. They sold the refurbished trunks at various antique stores in the area. Five of his restored trunks are used as décor in the house, known as “The Farmhouse” on Airbnb. The McCorkles also raised sweet corn and sold on a U-Pick basis, calling their farm “Easy Pickins.” The current owners, both retired from the Cooperative Extension Service, purchased the barn quilt through a live auction raising funds for the Vines Center, the Arkansas 4-H Center, west of Little Rock. The artist is a fellow retired county Extension agent, Carla Vaught. The quilts are marketed through “Traveling Sister’s Barn Quilts.” She and her business partner Teresa Griffin, have painted over 25 quilts. Some have been sold, some donated and some created specifically for others.

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