Belle Grove Opens March 21 With First Public Viewing of Memorial Quilts Honoring Enslaved Individuals

Belle Grove Plantation will open its 2026 season on Saturday, March 21, from noon to 4 p.m., offering free admission and the first public viewing of two memorial quilts honoring 270 individuals who were enslaved at the historic property.

The quilts are the result of a four-year community collaboration that grew out of the “Unearthing Enslaved Lives” exhibit launched in 2022. The exhibit highlights the archaeological investigation of the site where enslaved people once lived at Belle Grove.

Maggie Fraser, Donna Pence, and Pam Pampe place the final stitches on one of two memorial quilts honoring the 270 individuals who were enslaved at Belle Grove Plantation. The community-created quilts will be unveiled to the public during Belle Grove’s opening day on March 21. Below: Caption: The title block of the memorial quilt recognizing the individuals whose names were hand-stitched by community volunteers as part of the four-year project honoring those enslaved at Belle Grove.

“We wanted the exhibit to include a memorial to the men, women, and children enslaved at Belle Grove,” said Executive Director Kristen Laise. “Members of our advisory committee suggested a quilt, and that idea resonated. Quilts embody comfort and often represent family heirlooms and history.”

The project officially began on August 4, 2022, during a meeting of the Winchester Chapter of the Embroiderers’ Guild of America (WEGA). Members of the guild created stitching kits and provided training, inviting community members to help bring the project to life.

During 2022 and 2023, 113 volunteers and guild members hand-stitched the names and birth years of 270 enslaved individuals onto fabric squares. Each square represents a person who lived and worked at Belle Grove—people with names such as Truelove, Abba, Frank, Judah, Anthony, and Daniel.

African American textile artist Carole Gary Staples was commissioned to design and piece the quilts. She arranged the name squares into family-tree patterns and framed them with vibrant African batik fabrics that symbolize cultural heritage and resilience. Because of the number of names and the intricate design, Staples created two quilts to fully honor all 270 individuals.

Staples will travel from Ohio to attend the opening day event.

Local quilt expert Pam Pampe assembled the quilts and prepared them for the final stage—hand quilting. Throughout 2025 and early 2026, community quilting sessions brought together people of all ages and backgrounds.

Those gatherings were hosted by the Godfrey Miller Center, the Newcomers Club of Winchester, the Josephine School Community Museum, the Clarke County Community Center, and Bowman Library, part of the Handley Regional Library System. The quilts also appeared at Juneteenth celebrations in Winchester and Berryville, with approximately 250 community members participating in the hand quilting process.

Pam and Robert Pampe also constructed custom frames to ensure the quilts are displayed with care and dignity. Visitors will see the quilts upon entering the lower level of the Manor House, where they are installed on either side of the entrance to the historic kitchen next to the Unearthing Enslaved Lives exhibit.

The project was supported by donors including the John H. Adamson III Memorial Fund, Crescent Cities Charities, and Margaretta Barton Colt.

The March 21 event celebrates both the completion of the quilts and the community effort behind them, honoring the lives and stories of the individuals whose labor helped shape Belle Grove’s history.

Visiting Belle Grove in 2026

Belle Grove Plantation’s 1797 Manor House and grounds will be open for the season from March 22 through October 31, Mondays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m. (closed on major holidays).

From November 1 through December 3, the site will be open Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m. Belle Grove’s annual Christmas tours will run from December 4 through December 30, Mondays through Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m.

Additional events, exhibits, classes, and activities are scheduled throughout the year. More information is available at www.bellegrove.org/calendar.

About Belle Grove

Belle Grove Plantation is located at 336 Belle Grove Road, just south of Middletown off Route 11 and near Interstate 81 (Exit 302) and Interstate 66. The nonprofit historic house museum is a National Trust for Historic Preservation site and a partner in Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park.

The park’s visitor contact station is located at 7712 Main Street in Middletown. Additional information is available at www.nps.gov/cebe.