The Quilters Hall of Fame draws international visitors to Marion
February 25, 2026Quilters and quilt enthusiasts come from across the country and even the globe to see exhibits, attend programs, and utilize research collections.
Day in and day out, Indiana Humanities’ grantees and partners are bringing the humanities to life for Hoosiers across the state. From small towns like Jasper to big cities like Fort Wayne, our grantees are creating thoughtful programs, bridging divides, and inspiring Hoosiers to think, read, and talk. As part of our ongoing efforts to uplift the work of our partners, we’re highlighting past and present grantees and sharing their stories of impact.
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On the edge of downtown Marion, Ind., six blocks south of the courthouse square, stands an elegant Colonial Revival house that holds a special place in Marion’s history and continues to play an important role in the community’s cultural life.
Local banker George Webster and his wife, Marie Daugherty Webster, built the house in 1902. Around 1909, Marie took up quilting and began running a quilting business from the home, becoming world-renowned for her quilt designs and selling patterns, kits, and finished quilts internationally. Marie’s designs appeared in the Ladies’ Home Journal and other magazines of the day, and her 1915 book Quilts, Their Story and How to Make Them was reprinted several times and contributed to an early-20th-century quilting revival.
Today, appropriately, the Websters’ former residence at 926 S. Washington St. is the home of the Quilters Hall of Fame (TQHF). In 1992, family members donated the house to TQHF (then located in Vienna, Va.) for use as a museum, and after twelve years of renovations, TQHF officially opened in the house in 2004. The building has been designated as a National Historic Landmark and a Landmark of Women’s History.
From its historic headquarters, TQHF offers a variety of programs, several of which have received support from Indiana Humanities grants. Throughout the home, TQHF presents rotating exhibitions showcasing the work of both historic and contemporary quiltmakers and examples of exemplary quilt designs. (Indiana Humanities has funded, for example, an exhibit on a unique 1876 U.S. centennial quilt and another on the designs of recent TQHF inductee Hubert Ver Mehren.) TQHF also offers talks, tours, and other public programs, and it maintains a library and archive.
Quilters and quilt enthusiasts come from across the country and even the globe to see TQHF exhibits and utilize its research collections (with the longest-traveling visitors hailing from New Zealand). Just as important, the museum serves the local community through its programs, which it offers to students, tour groups, and local residents who want to experience a cultural gem in their own backyard.
TQHF executive director Deb Geyer points out one new program that has been especially beneficial to the community: a publicly accessible makerspace that TQHF recently opened in collaboration with the Marion Public Library. The makerspace is furnished with eight sewing machines, quilting and sewing tools, and accessories, providing community members with a low-barrier entry point to explore the creative traditions of quilting. Visitors can try sewing without having to invest in a machine, and those new to the craft are able to learn sewing and quilting techniques alongside experienced practitioners. Meanwhile, TQHF is providing fabric and instructions and asking visitors who use the makerspace to contribute to a community-made quilt in honor of the U.S. 250th commemoration.
For Geyer, celebrating traditions, building relationships, and growing community are at the heart of TQHF’s work. “Quilting connects past and present—from historical traditions to today’s vibrant quilting community that includes quilters of all backgrounds,” Geyer said. “We’re proud to contribute to Marion’s cultural landscape and economic vitality while ensuring that quilting’s rich history and the remarkable people behind it are celebrated and remembered.”
For information about how Indiana Humanities and our grants program can help your own organization celebrate traditions, build relationships, and grow community, check out our website. To learn more about the Quilters Hall of Fame and its upcoming programs, visit the Quilters Hall of Fame website. Can’t make it to the Quilters Hall of Fame in person? You can take a virtual tour of the Marie Webster House that Indiana Humanities and Indiana Landmarks helped to fund with a Historic Preservation Education Grant.
