Loretto Heritage Center

10/15/2026

An ode to polyester double knit quilts!
With the invention of polyester in the 1940s and the rise of polyester double-knit textiles in the 1950s and 1960s, all the latest fashions featured this fabric. It was bright, fade-free, didn't require ironing, and didn't wrinkle. However, the 1970s brought an end to the trend. Many found clothing made of polyester fiber to be heavy, scratchy, hot in summer, and no help at all in keeping warm during winter. Plus, it held stains. During the boom of polyester clothing manufacturing, quilters found a new (free) supply of readily available polyester in the form of leftover garment scraps, factory-surplus cuts, and cast-off clothing. As many quilters often did (and still do), they used what was available to them. Many of us who lived during that era slept under quilts made of those vibrant double knit fabrics and, today, we feel nostalgia for those quilts. Polyester quilts were, for a time, unappreciated and undervalued, but no matter how you view them, they do remain a very important part of the American quiltmaking tradition.

Images: Polyester double knit quilts from Angela McCormick Jones, Nancy Miles, and Parthenia Daugherty.

10/13/2026

We're open two evenings during the Quilt Show this week. That gives you extra time to examine all the details of these remarkable quilts in our exhibit!
Today, Tuesday 10am - 7pm
Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 7pm
Closing day, Friday 10am - 4pm

Image: Detail from the quilt, Aunt Gracie's Basket of Scraps, pieced by Janice Raley and quilted by Calvary Quilters at Holy Name of Mary Church in Calvary, KY.

10/11/2026

It may be cloudy and rainy outside but the Loretto Heritage Center is sunny and bright, filled with colorful quilts of every sort! Sunday is a great day to visit our Quilt Show! We have 80 quilts on display in the museum and adjoining conference room and we are open today from noon till 4PM. Join us!

Image: Detail from the quilt, New York Beauty, created by Amanda Kelty of Lebanon, KY.

10/10/2026

Our week-long exhibit of quilts has begun and we hope you can join us! These are our special hours for the week:
Today 10am - 4pm
Sunday Noon - 4pm
Monday 10am - 4pm
Tuesday 10am - 7pm
Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 7pm
Friday 10am - 4pm

09/25/2026

Today, we're revisiting an article written by Anndavid Naeger SL last year; it's a feature piece for the Loretto Community's website. In the article, Sr Anndavid tells the story about the quilt square on the old to***co barn at the Loretto Motherhouse. Follow the link: https://www.lorettocommunity.org/how-lorettos-barn-quilt-came-to-be/

Also, you're invited to attend the Loretto Heritage Center Quilt Show in October! It's a week-long event. Follow this link to learn more: https://www.lorettocommunity.org/event/loretto-heritage-centers-quilt-show/

Anndavid Naeger SL tells the story behind the quilt: Of course the design was the log cabin because of our dwelling places in the early 1800s. When Nancy Miles agreed […]

09/18/2026

Today's is in keeping with our current quilt theme! In 1985, the Sisters of Loretto participated in an anti-nuclear demonstration in Washington, DC called The Ribbon, now known as The Ribbon International. Beginning in 1982, communities across the US and in Europe were asked to create fabric panels illustrating what they would be most sorry to lose in a nuclear event. The panels were then brought to Washington, DC in August of 1985 and tied end-to-end, creating a “ribbon” which lined nearly 18 miles of streets, crossed the Potomac River, and encircled the Pentagon. The panel in our photograph is embellished with a Log Cabin quilt design and features the following quote: “You must all be united and pull the same way.”

To learn more about the Sisters of Loretto’s protest and social activism history, visit the Loretto Heritage Center museum! We have recently updated our Peace & Justice exhibits with new displays of artifacts, information, and imagery. Delve even deeper into the Sisters' history on our website: https://www.lorettocommunity.org/about/motherhouse/heritage-center-archives/

Visit the Loretto Heritage Center Quilt Show in October: https://www.lorettocommunity.org/event/loretto-heritage-centers-quilt-show/

Image: Barbara Nicholas SL, Washington, DC, The Ribbon event, 1985.

06/26/2026

Many Marion-countians may remember St. Monica School which was located next to St. Augustine Church in Lebanon, KY. St. Monica's educated black Catholic students for more than 50 years and still has an active alumni group. However, not many people are aware that before St. Monica School there was another Catholic school for black students in the St. Augustine parish. This school, run by the Sisters of Loretto, was open from 1872 until St. Monica School opened in 1914. While we don’t have many records from the school, we do have this single photo. The year is documented as "1883 or 1884" in the photograph’s catalog record.

06/12/2026

"Devotions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Arranged for Each Day of the Month of June" Cunningham's improved edition, printed by Peter F. Cunningham, Catholic Bookseller, in Philadelphia, 1859. The front cover is stamped with his initials in gold.

June is traditionally dedicated to the Sacred Heart, a special time to reflect on Christ’s passion and the 12 spiritual promises as revealed to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque during a series of apparitions between 1673-1675.

Discover more hidden gems at this link: https://www.lorettocommunity.org/about/motherhouse/heritage-center-archives/explore-our-collections-2/

05/26/2026

Our friends at Marion County Historical Society have moved, reorganized, and have a new location in the former Lebanon Enterprise building. As it goes when moving and downsizing, they have an excess of goods which will be auctioned. See their message below and submit your bids!
"Over the years, we’ve collected a wide variety of items. Going forward, part of being good stewards is making thoughtful decisions about what we can properly house, preserve, and interpret within our current space and mission. Some pieces that could not come with us are now being offered through an online auction."
"This is an opportunity for these vintage and historic items to find new homes with people who will appreciate and treasure them, while the funds raised will directly support the Historical Society’s continued operations, preservation efforts, and community programming. If you love vintage finds, local history, and one-of-a-kind pieces, we invite you to take a look at the auction."