On this day in 1901, Annie Edson Taylor, a 63-year-old schoolteacher, became the first person to ride over Niagara Falls in a barrel. Taylor’s husband died in the Civil War, and afterwards she moved all over the U.S. before finally settling down in Bay City, Michigan in 1898. Taylor heard of the falls and the upcoming Pan-American Exposition to be held in Buffalo, N.Y. and planned the stunt seeking cash and fame.
Mary Ann Lawson of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, machine pieced and hand quilted this Lady of the Lake quilt in 1940. Lawson’s granddaughter received the quilt as a gift and documented it in 1989 as part of the Heritage Quilt Project of New Jersey.
View this quilt on The Quilt Index to find out! Read more about its history, design and construction. Be sure to use the zoom tool for a detailed view or click the “See full record” link to see a larger image and all the data entered about that quilt.
Source:
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-barrel-ride-down-niagara-falls
Posted by Amy E. Milne
Executive Director, Quilt Alliance
amy.milne@quiltalliance.org