By DONNA KENNY KIRWAN

PAWTUCKET — While it’s hard to part with a treasured piece of history, the Pawtucket Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution knew it was doing the right thing when it gave away a beautiful antique quilt to a sister chapter in Indiana.

The quilt, believed to be about 170 years old, commemorates the 1840 election campaign of President William Henry Harrison. At the DAR Continental Congress held in Washington, D.C. last month, the Pawtucket DAR Chapter presented the quilt to the Frances Vigo Chapter in Vincennes, Indiana. This chapter worked to save the late president’s home, called Grouseland, and the quilt will be kept on display there.
According to Denise LaPrade, Pawtucket Chapter Regent, Harrison was known for his military success over Indian tribes, and especially during one of the most notorious skirmishes, with the Shawnee Indians in the Battle of Tippecanoe. This battle earned him the nickname “Old Tip.”
Harrison ran for the presidential nomination for the Whig Party and was chosen as their candidate in 1940. His running mate for the vice presidency was John Tyler from Virginia.
LaPrade said that the Democratic Party, in an attempt to belittle Harrison, stated that he was born in a log cabin and attempted to portray him as being “backwoods.” Harrison turned the situation around by adopting the tipped cider barrel and the log cabin as the symbols for his campaign. He also made his campaign slogan: “Tippecanoe and Tyler too.”
The brown-toned quilt depicts this campaign slogan, with a tipped cider barrel near a log cabin. It also featured a cameo portrait of Harrison, and all of the images are repeated throughout the brown printed cotton fabric, she said.
According to LaPrade’s research, Harrison was elected as the ninth president of the United States. However, he became ill shortly after his inaugural address and died one month later.
LaPrade also noted that Harrison’s father, Benjamin Harrison, was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence and his grandson, Senator Benjamin Harrison, became the nation’s 23rd president. His wife, Caroline Lavincia Scott Harrison, was the first President General of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. 
According to LaPrade, the chapter believes that the quilt may have been printed in Pawtucket, being that the city was the birthplace of the nation’s Industrial Revolution and the home of one of Samuel Slater’s original mills. Since the Pawtucket Chapter was organized May 12, 1892, it is thought that perhaps the quilt was the property of one of the original founders, she said.
Laprade added that it is not known how long the quilt was in the possession of the Pawtucket Chapter. However, she said that at a recent chapter meeting, members decided that the quilt should be given to the Frances Vigo Chapter. The Indiana DAR group had worked to save Harrison’s former home from demolition in 1911 and has helped maintain the brick structure for many decades.
The quilt had been on display in the Daggett House in Slater Park when Elaine Paquette, the Pawtucket Chapter treasurer, read an article in a quilting magazine about a quilt show being held at Grouseland. It was decided that Grouseland was “the rightful home for this quilt,” according to LaPrade.
The chapter originally thought about sending the quilt to the Indiana Chapter, but then decided to transfer ownership at the national convention. At the Indiana State Tea held on July 9, LaPrade presented the quilt to Virginia Stangles, a 50-year DAR member. A proclamation accompanying the quilt read, “In true friendship and patriotism, we hope this quilt provides a tool for your Chapter to promote education and historical preservation.”
Besides LaPrade, other Pawtucket Chapter members who were present included Elaine Paquette, treasurer and state chaplain; Janet Szymanski, registrar and state treasurer; and Barbara Weaver, state regent and associate chapter members. Additionally, two members of the Beacon Pole Hill Chapter also attended: Carolyn Sloat (chapter regent), and Audrey Godin (chapter chaplain).
LaPrade said that two of the Pawtucket Chapter members will be visiting Grouseland in October to attend a ceremony where the Frances Vigo Chapter will officially turn over the quilt to the Foundation at Grouseland.