We went away from the downtown's historic district and out to Belmont Mansion. It is a beautiful home situated on a high hill above the city. It was owned by a Mr. Peters who was a judge in the late 1700. He was a abolitionist and hid run away slaves in his attic as they traveled on the UGRR.
Our visit was very interesting. Even though the internet page listed the hours of operation from 11-5, everyday except Monday - they weren't open. The gentleman who met us in the parking lot said that they were associated with some college - I missed the name - and they were between semesters so they weren't open. When we said we were here for a tour he had us wait a minute and then invited us in. As it turned out there were 2 ladies there who were meeting 4
college students who would be working at the mansion over the summer as interns. So, we got the tour as the students got the tour. It was less than the best. They needed to be told information that we didn't need and we were hurried from room to room without much explaination. They had some high tech story telling devices but we didn't get a chance to listen to them and when we could turn them on, the ladies were telling the interns information so we really couldn't hear them. Needless to say it wasn't the best of stops. I was impressed to see quilts hung around the mansion but not all were made with period fabrics. The house's director told me that quilts were definitely used on the UGRR. I did get some really neat coloring pages to use in my classroom and a connection to a lady in Ohio who is connected with African American quilts. The ladies who took us through were very polite and pleasant and we really appreciated them allowing us even this short visit. I am sure they were not aware that we felt a little pushed aside. They had a job to accomplish and we were just "along for the ride".After our visit to the mansion we went to a fabric shop called The Shop on the Hill. Isn't that a great name? We found it in a really cute neighborhood and I grabbed my plan book and away we went. The young lady that met us when we came in said no they didn't have civil war fabrics they only carried "hip things". (YIKES!) We did find a few novelty fabrics and then asked about other fabric stores. She directed us to fabric stores that she said carried mainly home furnishing fabrics but she thought they might have some quilt fabrics. She said the owner probably knew of some other stores but when the owner came out of the back room she said she couldn't help us because she had a computer program running. I should have worn my ruby slippers so I could tap them together while chanting - there's no place like home!! I feel like I didn't do my homework very well. I didn't think finding quilt shops would be this hard - I should have written to local quilt guilds and asked about shops in the area!
After that we drove through the yuckiest part of Philly but did find "Pat's King of Steaks" which has the originally Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches. We had a wonderful sandwich on picnic tables on the sidewalk. An eating tradition in Philly!
We are currently spending the night in Ramsey, NJ about half way to Albany, NY. The thing about days like today where things don't go as you expect - tomorrow is sure to be better! Stay tuned!!
Oh, but I forgot to tell you - the shop owner from the cool fabric store in Savage wrote about me in her blog. Check it out and see her super neat UGRR quilt squares. They are really neat. Her blog is http://springwaterdesigns.blogspot.com
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