176 Indiana Magazine of History “Building Plans Should Be Made By
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176 Indiana Magazine of History “Building plans Should be made by Architects of long experience in a special line. Ours is PLANNING and DESIGNING ‘THE IDEAL CIRCULAR BARN.’ A barn without a fault, cheap to construct, handsome in appearance, and proof against storms” (p. 17). The round barn owes its genesis to the round silo. This agricul- tural edifice, which most people probably assume has been around farms as long as farms have been around, was a nineteenth- century manifestation of progress. When, in the 1880s, Franklin King of the Wisconsin Agricultural Experiment Station began to test round silos rather than square or rectangular ones, his brother, C. E., asked him to design one of the new silos for him along with a new barn. Franklin combined the projects in “a 90-foot-diameter round barn with his all-wood circular silo positioned in the center. [This] was the first of a generation of true-circular silo barns, characterized by balloon-frame construction, horizontal wood sid- ing, and a conical roof. .” (p. 14). Ironically, the Kindig family of builders who were responsible for “one of the largest concentrations of round barns . [with thir- ty sites] within a fifteen-mile radius centered in eastern Fulton County” (p. 3) did not like the buildings. In fact, they “considered the round barn to be structurally inferior to the rectangular barn, but they built round barns because of the demand for them” (p. 31). Hanou closes his narrative with a call for preservation of these barns if for no other reason than “the round barn has a certain charm not found outside the United States and Canada . Its per- fect shape and the graceful outline are readily noticeable and visu- ally pleasing . In short, the round barn is a masterpiece’’ (p. 62). JOHN C. CARLISLEis professor of English, Purdue University Calumet, Hammond, Indiana. He serves as the Indiana Member of the Board of Directors of the Lincoln Highway Association and has recently finished “reblazing” the original trail of the highway from Fort Wayne to Elkhart/Goshen/MishawakdSouth Bend to Valparaiso and Dyer, where the “Ideal Section” of four-lane, concrete highway was constructed in the late 1920s. Quilts of Indiana: Crossroads of Memories. By the Indiana Quilt Registry Project, Inc. (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1991. Pp. viii, 181. Illustrations, map, notes, bibliography, index. Clothbound, $37.50; paperbound, $24.95.) Indiana quilts and quiltmakers are the subject of Quilts of Indi- ana: Crossroads of Memories. Documenting the work of the Indi- ana Quilt Registry Project (IQRP) for two years, this book details the IQRP-sponsored quilt registration days which found more than three thousand Indiana quilts and recorded their history, often for the first time. Valuable as both fiber art and historical artifacts, these quilts, together with photographs and details of their makers, take their rightful place against the larger background of Indiana history. Book Reviews 177 Some special characteristics of quilts made in Indiana emerge from this colorful volume. Perhaps as a result of early migration from the states of Maryland and Virginia, Indiana quiltmakers excelled at the art of applique. Of particular note is the whimsical fork art work of Mary Jane Kirkpatrick Harlan (pp. 22-23) from Rush County. Then there is the masterful Harrison Rose quilt by Susan McCord (pp. 36-37), a prolific quiltmaker whose quilts are preserved in the Henry Ford Museum. Finally, there are the numerous Art Nouveau applique compositions of Marie Webster from Wabash, Indiana. Marie Webster is so revered by American needleworkers that her family home is being restored as a museum to the quilter’s craft. Outstanding pieced quilts are likewise represented. The som- ber, but striking, Mariner’s Compass quilt made by Susan Brack- ney from Brazil, Indiana, is a prime example of the beauty of geometric patchwork. The mint condition Rolling Stone quilt, owned by the Christner family of Topeka, Kansas (p. 160)’ glows from the page. Especially stunning is Naomi Shields Sillions’s Japanese Fans quilt (p. 132). This gem combines intricate points, tiny pieces, and curves, all the while serving as the best lesson on complimentary color choice any art teacher could want. That this quilt was made by a thirteen-year-old girl is both humbling and awe-inspiring. Quilts of Indiana documents quilts from as early as 1800 to con- temporary quilts which commemorate current events, such as the 1986 tenth anniversary quilt made by the Fort Wayne Women’s Bureau (pp. 158-59).The book displays excellent photography, fea- turing some of the more pastel quilts against a black background to better highlight their subtle details. Quiltmakers, of course, will love this book, but Hoosier history buffs will also appreciate the way in which simple objects like quilts can make history real to the reader. Non-quilters and readers unfa- miliar with Indiana history will also enjoy Quilts of Indiana; this book is a tempting visual treat for anyone who appreciates the beauty of the art of everyday people. PEPPERCORY is author of four books on quiltmaking and a designer of quilting and painting stencils and templates. In addition to writing, designing, and teaching, she also judges quilt shows and appraises antique quilts. Reclaiming the Past: Landmarks of Women’s History. Edited by Page Putnam Miller. (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1992. Pp. 232. Illustrations, notes, index. $35.00.) A dearth of National Park Service (NPS) and National Historic Landmarks Program sites that include women in an interpretation of the built environment prompted preparation of Reclaiming the .