LE ROY PENNYSAVER & NEWS - APRIL 16, 2023 by Lynne Belluscio I had heard that the new billboard was going to be up on April 3, but the weather was a problem, so I was elated when I was driving to Batavia a couple of days later, on Friday and discovered that it had been completed. Thank you to the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce and the Tourism Office and in particular, Kelly Rapone and Morgan Hoffman. Now folks on the Thruway will know about LeRoy’s barn quilt trail. There are maps available at various places in LeRoy. Folks have said to me, “I never knew that there were 100 barn quilts in LeRoy.” Well, it’s true. There are 106 on the map and there are quite a few more that aren’t on the map. Some are on private property. Some cannot be seen. I forgot to put the barn quilt at 9209 Linwood Road on the map. It was on the old map. For some reason I over looked it. But it will be on the LeRoy Barn Quilt facebook page. It was a collaborative effort by Michael and Cheryl Uberty and it has a white crescent moon, a yellow star, and a blue moon. Michael told me the other day that Cheryl passed away unexpectedly, but he doesn’t want the barn quilt listed as a memorial quilt. He just wants folks to know the story. The house was Michael’s grandfather’s house. The barn on the farm was replaced by John Rider and Michael’s father Robert Uberty. Michael said that his relatives lived all along Linwood Road, and probably the road should be called “Uberty Road.” Another barn quilt that isn’t on the map, is on Iveson Road in Byron. The bold red wheels on the white background can be seen from quite a distance. I painted the barn quilt and it was auctioned at the Historical Society’s Dinner Auction. The original cloth quilt is in the collection of the Historical Society. It was sewn by members of the congregation of the LeRoy Methodist Church and given to their minister in appreciation for his service to the church. The quilt has the signatures of the congregation. The barn is owned by Josh Kent and is on the former Broadbrooks Farm. The land was purchased from the Holland Land Company in 1823. There is an interesting story to #47 on Conlon Road, on the North Trail. It is a fanciful design “None Such” and it was one of the first barn quilts to be put up. Shelley Stein and I painted it in my garage. It was a good excuse to have a glass of wine together and paint a barn quilt - - until I noticed that there were three pieces that we had painted black that were supposed to be pink. I learned in a hurry that if you scrub real hard with a sponge that you can get black paint off. That was followed by a new coat of primer and at a distance no one would know. The pattern and colors were taken from a family quilt that Shelley has. The quilt had seen better days so I took the quilt and cut out the squares that had deteriorated, and then sewed the good pieces back together. But this is not the end of the story. This barn quilt was on one of the oldest barns in the town. It was an English barn with a threshing floor. When wheat was cut by hand, it would have to be threshed by hand, which meant that men would use flails on the wheat on the floor to knock the grains off the stalks. Then the grain would be shoveled up and thrown in the air and caught by a winnowing basket or winnowing tray. This was done when both doors to the barn were open, and the wind was blowing through the barn. Unfortunately, during one of the recent windstorms, the barn was blown down, except for the wall with the barn quilt. So, I called Shelley and asked her what was going to happen with the barn quilt and she told me that the upper part of the barn would be removed. Some of the old beams would be saved, but the lower part of the barn could be used and the barn quilt would go back up. And indeed, that’s what happened. Some of the barn quilts need to be repainted. In fact, the first barn quilt to be put up, on West Main Road, and was featured on the first map, was taken down and has never been put back up. The barn quilt that is shown on the new map # 32, known as Dianna’s Star, has been taken down to be repainted, and as soon as the weather warms up, I hope to get a couple of volunteers together to go out to West Bergen Road and get the job done. I will be painting a 2 x 2 of Dianna’s Star to go in the Town Hall. Just up the road from Diana’s house #29 Clay’s Choice, is on her brother’s garage, but if you stop by, take a look at the huge big barn complex behind the house. This was a huge chicken farm, and Diana’s family raised standard white Leghorns, and even until today, a rooster raised on the farm, is the standard for White Leghorns throughout the United States and the World. There are great stories. There’s great history. Its fun to go out on a drive to look for barn quilts. Maps are available at several places in LeRoy – Crockers Ace Hardware, the Town Hall, the Village Hall, the Historical Society and the Woodward Library. In conjunction with the project, the Library has a special exhibit and there are free kits for a sewing project. Visit LeRoybarnquilt.org for more information. LeRoy’s New Exit 47 Barn Quilt Billboard
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