On this day in 1954, Hurricane Hazel hit southern Ontario, Canada, killing 81 people. Hazel, the fourth major hurricane of that year, began on October 12 when it made landfall in Jamaica with winds reaching over 140 miles an hour. The storm moved northward and coastal towns in North Carolina and Virginia suffered severe damage. Four days later the storm caught the residents of Toronto relatively unaware when the Humbar River flooded and entire neighborhoods were washed away. The storm finally dissipated on October 16, leaving more than 400 people dead and damages in excess of $1 billion.

Hazel Reece hand pieced and hand quilted (10 stitches/inch) this Star and Crescent quilt for her daughter, who had left home for school.  The quiltmaker wrote, “[She] left a lonely spot in my home during the day; I filled that time making her a quilt. The first quilt I ever made with curved seams.” Reece’s daughter documented the quilt during the North Carolina Quilt Project and the quilt is featured in the book, North Carolina Quilts (plate 7-13).

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/hurricane-hazel-hits-the-carolinas-and-ontario

Posted by Amy E. Milne
Executive Director, Quilt Alliance
amy.milne@quiltalliance.org