To the Editor:

Paul Centi, the proprietor of Township Tavern in Knox, installed an 8-by-8-foot quilt square on the side of his building last week.  A photo of the tavern from the 1880s inspired the illustration painted in the center of the wooden square.

The border reminds us of vintage checkerboard tablecloths. I handpainted the illustration following the style used by Knox quilters when they created the Knox Bicentennial Quilt.

Mr. Centi and his staff helped Brian Whipple, Dennis Barber, Ray Hand, Jane McLean, Kathy Whipple, and me mount the quilt square, the newest addition to the Helderberg Quilt Barn Trail.

The trail is a driving tour of wooden, painted barn quilts in the Helderberg Hilltowns of Albany. It is part of a national grassroots folk-art movement that celebrates our rural architecture and legacy of quilting. Helderberg Quilt Barn Trail maps and guides may be found at www.HQBT.org.

I have painted 16 of the 23 barn quilts on display in Knox and Berne. I can help you design and build your own quilt square. Visit www.BeebeFarm.info for more information.

John Elberfeld
Knox