Tulip Quilt. 6390 Roberts Matthews Highway (36°02968,-85°30444) Red barn on east side of Roberts Matthews Highway, south of Hampton’s Crossroads. May also be seen from Highway 111.

1. Tulip Quilt. 6390 Roberts Matthews Highway (36°02968,-85°30444) Red barn on east side of Roberts Matthews Highway, south of Hampton’s Crossroads. May also be seen from Highway 111.

History submitted by Sharon Lee Whitson:

“The quilt, from which this block design was taken, was made by my grandmother, Laura Hampton Lee, in the late 1950’s. She made each of her three grandchildren a ‘Tulip Quilt.’ My grandmother was not an avid quilter / needlework person, but spent much of each day working long hours of hard labor on the family farm to help her husband provide for their family. She plowed corn, hoed tobacco, milked cows, and raised a large garden. She sold eggs at the crossroads grocery store in exchange for flour, sugar, etc. My grandmother LOVED to cook and provided many delicious and bountiful meals for the family and workhands on the farm. However, from this busy schedule of hard work, she hosted and attended the ‘Home Demonstration Club’ meetings. It was there that she got the idea and pattern for making this ‘Tulip Quilt.’  Family History: Laura Hampton Lee lived in the Hampton’s Crossroads Community of White County and her entire life attended Hampton’s Crossroads Baptist Church, a church with strong ties to her family history and heritage. If you look directly northwest of the barn location you can see the steeple of the present Hampton’s Crossroads Baptist Church. My grandmother moved to ‘this’ location, only ¼ mile south after the family farm and home was split by the construction of Highway 111. She lived here until her death in 1995 at the age of 87. I hope you have enjoyed looking into the life of my grandmother, Laura Hampton Lee, through this quilt – which was only one of her many endeavors. She was a strong willed, Southern woman with true grit that taught me so many useful things! ~with loving memories, Sharon Lee Whitson, granddaughter of Laura Hampton Lee.


The blocks at this location were painted by the ladies of the O’Connor FCE (Family and Community Education) Club (formerly known as the Home Demonstration Clubs coordinated through the UT Extension Office) which includes Laura’s daughter-in-law Martha Lee, and two of Laura’s granddaughters.