Jonesboro, AR – Contributed – Nearly a century ago, during the Great Depression, the Pfeiffer family of Piggott made an impact on the families of the community by way of quilts.
“Paul Pfeiffer was a prominent landowner and businessman in Clay County. During the Great Depression, he supported women by purchasing their homemade quilts,” said Shannon Williams, director of the Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Educational Center (HPMEC).
To pay homage to the history of the importance of quilts in the community, HPMEC will host its second annual quilt show this month, through March 31. In its first year, the event hosted over 100 quilts.
Williams said they look forward to a large exhibit this year that the community can enjoy.
“Quilts are such an important part of our story that we felt that an annual exhibit was needed,” Williams added. “This historical and charitable practice is honored through the annual quilt exhibit. The community has supported the program by bringing quilts to exhibit. The quilt show has grown since last year.”
Originally hailing from St. Louis, Paul and Mary Pfeiffer moved to Piggott in 1913, where they raised their family and made the community their home. In addition to helping support struggling families by purchasing quilts, Pfeiffer also chartered a new bank in the community following the shuttering of the Bank of Piggott in 1930.
The quilt display can be seen at HPMEC Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Admission prices vary. General admission is $15 per person, the rate for senior citizens and groups of eight or more is $10 per person, school children can visit for $5 per person with free admission for each adult chaperone per every eight children. Those five and under and museum members get in for free.
For more information, one may contact the museum at 870-598-3487.
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