Harrison County opted to make its 2005 and 2006 Make a Difference Day projects revolve around the "Quilt Barn" concept which has been carried out in other Appalachian areas.

The effort entails installing eight-foot square painted replicas of quilt squares on barns throughout the county. The barns will be promoted as a "drive it yourself" tour of Harrison County. They also will serve as a constant reminder of our pioneer and agricultural heritage.

The idea was born when Donna Sue Groves, a Field Representative with the Ohio Arts Council, adorned a barn on her family's farm in Adams County, Ohio with a quilt square from one of her mother's quilts. The idea grew to include 20 "Quilt Barns" throughout Adams County.

Soon thereafter the idea caught on, and since then Monroe County, Ohio has created a Quilt Barn project. Other counties throughout Appalachian Ohio have produced a sampling as well. Similar projects have been undertaken in Iowa, Tennessee, and Kentucky. It is Ms. Groves' hope that ultimately the 13 states of the Appalachian region will be traversed by a "Clothesline of Quilts" linking the shared heritage of the entire region.

The concept came to life in Harrison County during discussions between Ms. Groves and representatives of the county at a meeting in the spring of 2005. The plans called for an initial installation of 15 quilts; one in each of the county's townships. With the exception of the "Make A Difference Day Ohio" quilt square, all of the quilts used as "models" for the project are owned by residents of the county and were submitted for consideration in June 2005.

The project has been a real community effort, bringing people together from throughout the county. Twenty-eight quilts were submitted for consideration in the initial phase of the project. The effort is coordinated by the Puskarich Public Library, the OSU Extension Office, and the Harrison County Community Improvement Corporation. The Harrison County Commissioners are involved in the project and have applied for grant funding in support of the effort. The Harrison County Engineer's office coordinated the installation.

The paintings are mounted to wooden frames, which are affixed to the barns. The frames were constructed by students in the Industrial Arts Program at Harrison Central High School, who also painted two of the quilt squares. Two of the paintings were done by students in the Arts program at Harrison Central High School, and several were painted by 4-H clubs from the county. The remaining quilt squares were painted by volunteers from Harrison County.

The Harrison County Board of Elections became involved during the Harrison County Fair in July 2005. The Board of Elections had the opportunity to hold a mock election as a part of demonstrating newly acquired electronic voting machines that were put into service for the November 2005 election. The twenty-eight quilts that had been submitted for consideration were photographed and downloaded to the database of the election machines. Fairgoers were given the opportunity to vote for their favorite quilt. The winner was a quilt in the Dahlia pattern submitted by county resident Barbara Besozzi. The quilt was sewn by her grandmother, Mary Henderson. The quilt square is located on a barn on the homestead where it was sewn.

The first quilt was installed on August 16, 2005. It was placed on the barn at the Harrison County Home, which also bears the Ohio Bicentennial logo. This quilt square has been replaced by the Make A Difference Day Ohio Quilt Square and will be reinstalled on another barn in the county.

The next eight quilts were installed as a part of Make A Difference Day Ohio, 2005. The Harrison County Commissioners received a Make a Difference Day grant from the Governor's Office of Appalachia and Ohio's Appalachia Country, which covered one half of the cost of installation of eight quilts. Make A Difference Day Ohio was held on October 22, 2005. The state program is co-chaired by Ohio's First Lady Hope Taft and OSU Football Coach Jim Tressel. This 2005 grant program supported projects that established public art, such as the Quilt Barn project.

The second phase of the project included installation of an additional 11 quilt squares. These are located on barns in the townships that did not receive a quilt square in 2005. An additional four squares have been installed in strategic locations, for a total of 20 quilt barns throughout Harrison County.

The 2006 Make A Difference Day Ohio project, also funded by the Governor's Office of Appalachia and Ohio's Appalachia Country, involved the painting and installation of a new quilt square on the county's Bicentennial Barn at the Harrison County Home. This quilt square is a replica of the Make A Difference Day Ohio logo. Volunteers also painted fifty 4x4 foot quilt squares bearing the "Ohio Star" pattern. These will be distributed throughout the county for installation. Harrison County 4-H members and other youth groups participated in this effort. The 2006 grant also paid to repaint the Ohio Bicentennial logo on the barn and provided funding for website improvements to make it easier for visitors to navigate the county in search of quilt squares.

Hope Taft, First Lady of Ohio, joined local residents at three Make A Difference Day Ohio events on Saturday October 28, 2006. Mrs. Taft assisted with the installation of the Make A Difference Day Ohio Quilt Square and helped paint quilt squares during her visit to Harrison County.

Following these activities, the Ohio Arts Council sponsored a "Quilt Documentation and Discovery Day" at Franklin Museum in New Athens. This event provided an opportunity for local residents to learn more about quilts and the quilting heritage of the area.

Experts on quilting in the Appalachian region of Ohio were on hand to help with design identification, quilting techniques used in old quilts, and related issues. Those who brought older quilts to the event had the opportunity to provide information on the history of the quilts and the quilters so that we can begin a database of quilts from Harrison County and the surrounding area.

Funding for the Quilt Square project and the Quilt Discovery and Documentation Day has been provided through grants from the Ohio Arts Council. The Ohio Arts Council helped fund this program with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence, and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.

As with any program of this nature, local funding is necessary in order to ensure success. Contributions in any amount are welcomed. Donations, which are tax deductible, should be made payable to the Harrison County Commission and mailed to the Harrison County CIC at 538 North Main Street, Suite A; Cadiz, OH 43907.