On this day in 1968, New York City police made an early morning raid of the Stonewall Inn, one of the few Greenwich Village bars where gay and transgender customers were welcomed. While raids like this were common in this intensely anti-homosexual era, the police quickly lost control of the situation when gay residents of the neighborhood put up a violent resistance. The Stonewall riot lead to the swift organization of activist groups and marks the single most important step in the gay liberation movement.
Florence Haviland of Sherman, Connecticut hand pieced, appliqued and quilted this Stonewall quilt between 1876-1900. The quilt was documented during the Connecticut Quilt Search in 1996 by the great granddaughter of the quiltmaker.
View this quilt on The Quilt Index to read more about it’s history, design and construction. Be sure to use the zoom tool for a detailed view.
Posted by Amy E. Milne
Executive Director, Quilt Alliance