Public Art Experience April 2 - June 2 2026
Creative District Thomasville, GA
In the Spring of 2026, Thomasville Center for the Arts will launch “My Side of the Story” with multiple public art activations during the Center’s Due South Music, Food, & Art Festival and continue through the 105th Rose Show and Festival. This experience promotes Southern quilting and showcases makers and artists across the South, providing them with a platform to showcase their artistic talents. From April 2 to June 2, 2026, the community can view and experience these public art installations in Downtown Thomasville. This column highlights the storytellers, historians, artists, and quilters involved in this public art experience. Alongside the narrative quilt competition, the project includes a community “Airing of the Quilts,” featuring quilt flags made from quilts created by Thomasville residents and groups. The stories behind these quilts are as powerful as the artwork itself. This week’s feature: The Thomasville History Center quilts. At the Thomasville History Center, quilts are preserved not simply as handcrafted textiles, but as historic artifacts that document the lives, traditions, and stories of the people of Thomas County. They are treated as part of the History Center’s broader collections, and reflect family histories, community connections, and the craftsmanship of past generations. Visit our online flipbook at online.flippingbook.com/view/109864508/ Through public art, Thomasville Center for the Arts continues its mission to make lives brighter through the arts.
THOMASVILLE HISTORY CENTER QUILTS
Cheatham Family Quilt - 1920
Berrien Cheatham Collection
Orange-and-cream colored quilt owned by the Cheatham family of North Augusta, South Carolina, c.1920.
Courtesy of Thomasville History Center
Copeland Family Quilt - 1887
Ruff Collection
Handmade "drunkard's path" style quilt made by Caroline Elizabeth Ruff as a gift to Belle Dekle and Claude Reynolds Copeland upon their marriage on December 6, 1887. It was later owned by their daughter, Claudia Copeland Montford, who gave it to her daughter, Sarabelle Montford Pipkin.
Courtesy of Thomasville History Center
Julia Ann Johnson Mitchell Quilt - 1849
Pebble Hill Plantation Collection
Starburst-pattern quilt made by Julia Ann Johnson Mitchell, daughter of Thomas Jefferson Johnson and wife of John William Henry Mitchell of Pebble Hill Plantation, 1849.
Courtesy of Thomasville History Center
Dickey Family | Birdsong Plantation Baltimore Album Quilt - 1861
Dickey Collection
Baltimore album quilt made between 1861- 1863 for the marriage of Shadrack Arthur Dickey and Maria Louise Mitchell in 1863. The Dickey family owned Birdsong Plantation south of Thomasville. The quilt is appliqued and includes the signatures of family members who contributed to the making of the quilt or spouces of people who helped make the quilt, including: Susie E. Dickey; Harriet Harrison; Harriet Miles; Mary H. Dickey; Susan E. Brown; Anna M. Dickey; L.J. van Bount; Hattie L. Martin; Hattie Lou Brown; Annie E. Blackshear; M.L. Pringle; Mary Hayes; Jane L. Hayes; Mary E. Martin; Mary B. Harrison; Martha A. Hurst; Claudia Cromartie; M.R. Handley; Mary A.J. Hayes; Lizzie J.; S.N. McGriff; Mary Anne Hair. After Shadrack and Maria Dickey passed away, the quilt was inherited by their son, Richard Taylor Dickey. When he passed away, ownership was shared by Edith Jean Dickey Ferrell and Alice Dickey Roberts, his daughters and the quilt's donors.
Courtesy of Thomasville History Center
Ione Community School Quilt - 1930
Carr Collection
Quilt made by the mothers of students of teacher Meda Ward Carr at Ione Community School in the Ione community of Thomas County, north of Pavo, c.1930. The quilt features the names of students in her class, including Freddie Ricks, Joe Green, Anne Ricks, C.B. Dean, Daniel Dunn, Ethan Ricks, Ethel Green, Didi Ricks, Mimi Ricks, Marianne Dunn, and Allie Cooper.
Courtesy of Thomasville History Center
Knapp Family Quilt - 1852
Knapp Collection
Quilt made for Sarah Forest and William Knapp as a gift for their marriage, February 17, 1852. The quilt features a yellow, red, and green pinwheel design with green-stripe divisions and a pennant border in the same three colors against a white background.
Courtesy of Thomasville History Center
Lenora Johnson Quilt - 1920
Johnson Collection
Patchwork quilt made by Lenora Outzs Johnson of Thomasville, c.1920. The quilt is made with a backing of very tiny dark green floral prints, and the front features patches of pink-and-blue checkerboards and red-and- white checkerboards with different tiny prints.
Courtesy of Thomasville History Center
Mary Sellers Harrell Quilt - 1885
Harrell Collection
Quilt made by Mary Sellers Harrell of Cairo, Georgia while it was still a part of Thomas County, c.1885. Made sometime after her marriage to John Oscar Harrell, the quilt was passed to their son John Arthur Harrell, and then to his daughter, Pauline Harrell Hewlett. The quilt was awarded a first-place ribbon by the Georgia Quilt Project and exhibited at the Atlanta History Center in 1991.
Courtesy of Thomasville History Center
Rebekah Lodge #20 Quilt - 1951
Quilt Collection
Patchwork quilt made by members of Rebekah Lodge #20, the Thomasville chapter of the Odd Fellows Auxiliary, 1951. It was left at Modern Cleaners in Thomasville many years later. The quilt measures 54"x88" and is made of pink and green cotton patches with chain- stitched embroidery that marks each contributor and the year, as well as other Rebekah Lodge information.
Courtesy of Thomasville History Center
Mary Taylor Sheldon Quilt - 1888
Jerger Collection
Crazy quilt said to be made of clothing from the Sheldon, Jerger, and Remington families by Mary Taylor Sheldon, the aunt of Mary Sheldon Remington Jerger and sister of Patience Aborn Sheldon Remington, 1876. Curator's Note: The earliest date embroidered on the quilt is 1868, while the latest date is 1888, making it likely the quilt was finished in 1888 rather than 1876. A later cotton backing was added to the quilt sometime after acquisition to preserve the red silk backing.
Courtesy of Thomasville History Center
Marjorie Wahl Air Corps Militaria Quilt - 1945
Wahl Collection
Cotton sheet (quilt) made by Marjorie Wahl with World War II-era United States Army Air Corps (and some regular Army) insignia, patches, ribbon bars, pins, and awards, c.1945.
Courtesy of Thomasville History Center
Marjorie Wahl Armed Forces Militaria Quilt - 1945
Wahl Collection
Large wool blanket (quilt) made by Marjorie Wahl with dozens of World War II-era United States Army, Air Corps, Navy, and Marine Corps insignia, patches, ribbon bars, pins, and awards, c.1945.
Courtesy of Thomasville History Center
Marjorie Wahl Navy Militaria Quilt - 1945
Wahl Collection
Denim sheet (quilt) made by Marjorie Wahl with World War II-era United States Navy insignia, patches, pins, and buttons, c.1945.
Courtesy of Thomasville History Center
Rhea Granger Quilt Square - 1928
Quilt Collection
Square patch from an unassembled quilt by Thomasville native Rhea Granger, 1928. Granger used backing and padding made from flour bags and newspapers. The latest newspaper article indicates the pieces were assembled after 1930. Adhesive Velcro strips were added sometime after the 1970s to piece the quilt together for use and display.
Courtesy of Thomasville History Center
Sara Davis Peters Crazy Quilt - 1885
Quilt Collection
Velvet-and-silk "crazy quilt" made by Sara Davis Peters of Thomasville, 1885. The quilt is made from scraps of velvet and silk appliqued over with silk and cotton thread and beads. The backing is made of a chartreusse silk. A later cotton patch was added for display purposes and is labeled "Cat #33 SIMMONS." The quilt measures 64"x63" and is in excellent condition.
Courtesy of Thomasville History Center
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