QUILT HISTORY STORIES

                        

 DECATUR, ILLINOIS

 DELAND, ILLINOIS

MAROA, ILLINOIS

SULLIVAN, ILLINOIS

People’s Furniture Store

Quilt Contest

Saturday May 2, 1931

Decatur, Illinois

Susan Wildemuth, Atkinson, IL

     On April 5, 1931 People’s Furniture Store of Decatur, Illinois announced their first annual quilt contest in the DECATUR HERALD.   Their goals were to foster “a greater appreciation of the fine workmanship that goes into making a quilt” and bring business into their Depression Era store.

    Their “Come In” ad for this event reads:  “Maybe your quilt is of rare workmanship, or maybe its age or history is unusual…whatever its qualifications might happen to be, don’t fail to enter it in this contest.”

    The notice for the contest stated that “all quilts must be entered at our store on or before Saturday, April 18, 1931.  Prizes will be awarded to eleven winners on Saturday, May 2, 1931 at 8 p.m.  Quilts will be displayed for three weeks.

   People’s Furniture Store wanted their customers to know that “even though you do not enter a quilt, you will want to see this great showing.” There is no information stating what kind of crowds the store experienced during this event, but according to the newspaper account, when the contest ended, more than 500 quilts had been entered. Mrs. A.W. Wagner’s quilt, “an appliqué design combined with intricate quilting,” won the day.

 

   Contest Rules 

  1. Simply bring any quilt you care to enter in this contest to our store.  Each quilt entered will be given a ticket bearing a number and the owner of the quilt will be given a duplicate ticket with a corresponding number.  Positively no names will appear on quilts entered – this prevents judges from being influenced in awarding prizes.
  2. All quilts entered must be brought to our store on or before Saturday, April 18th.  The People’s Furniture Company will exercise extreme caution to protect each entry.
  3. No employee of the People’s Furniture Company or the immediate members of their family are eligible to enter the contest.
  4. All quilts will be on display for three weeks from the last day of entry in it.  The eleven prize winning quilts will be kept on display for one week after prizes are awarded.
  5. Judging will be done by one or more disinterested and competent judges. Awards to be made on point system.
  6. Prize winners will be announced and cash awards made at this store on Saturday, May 2 at 8 p.m.  Any prize winner unable to attend at that time my obtain prize by calling at the store at a later date.
  7. All quilts, except prize winners, returned to owners after contest.

Prize Awards

First Place                      $20.00

Second Place                 $10.00

Third Place                     $ 5.00

Fourth Place                   $ 5.00

Fifth Place                      $ 2.50

Sixth Place                     $ 2.50

Seventh Place                 $ 1.00

Eighth Place                    $ 1.00

Ninth Place                     $ 1.00

Tenth Place                     $ 1.00

Eleventh Place                 $ 1.00

Judges

 

Miss Mary Omen                     Home Advisor

Miss Elizabeth Campbell          James Millikin University Faculty

Miss Helen F. Murphy             Home Economics Teacher – Decatur High School

 

 Contest Winners

 

First Place                          Mrs. A.W. Wagner

                                          717 West Prairie Street

                                          Decatur, Illinois                                       

 

Second Place                     Mrs. Arthur Lindy

                                          450 South 22nd Street

                                          Decatur, Illinois

 

Third Place                         Mrs. Frank Shields

                                          138 South 18th Street

                                          Decatur, Illinois

 

Fourth Place                       Mrs. C.H. Bristow

                                          1701 Jefferson Street

                                          Sullivan, Illinois

 

Fifth Place                          Mrs. Laura E. Kern

                                          1495 Decatur Street

                                          Decatur, Illinois

 

Sixth Place                         Mrs. Bruce Waller

                                          Maroa, Illinois

 

Seventh Place                     Mrs. J.M. Chapman

                                          851 North Edward Street

                                          Decatur, Illinois

 

Eighth Place                       Mrs. Ella Clements

                                          438 East Eldorado

                                          Decatur, Illinois

 

Ninth Place                        Mrs. James Dugan

                                          1409 E. William Street

                                          Decatur, Illinoiis

 

Tenth Place                        Mrs. Belle Borton

                                          Deland, Illinois

 

Eleventh Place                    Mrs. Alva C. Davis

                                          1105 West King Street

                                          Decatur, Illinois

 

 Bibliography

 

“Great Quilt Contest.” DECATUR HERALD 5 April 1931.

 

“Ancient Quilts on Exhibit in Store Contest.” DECATUR HERALD 12 April 1931.

 

“Mrs. Wagner Wins on Exhibit of Quilt.” DECATUR HERALD 3 May 1931.

 

Special Note

 

If anyone has any information about quilts entered in this contest, paper items from this contest, or photos of quilts, participants, People’s Furniture Store, and/or judges associated with this contest, the author would love to add additional information to this brief article.

 

**If anyone would like to take this on as a research project and tell the “entire” story I would be glad to forward copies of what information I have. 

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