"Sisters at the Loom": The Community of Women Weavers in 19th Century Rockbridge

Event Description

Sunday, December 15: "Sisters at the Loom" Program

2 PM | Manly Memorial Baptist Church, 202 S. Main Street
The Rockbridge Historical Society will host a free program tied to its 2024 exhibit on “Rockbridge Weavers.” Exhibit curator and weaver Frances Richardson will present "Sisters at the Loom," exploring the origins and growth of this project, which blends research with craftsmanship and highlights the histories of artisanal and community life. 

Richardson will showcase a group of "ordinary women, with extraordinary skills," and reveal how their connections through family, finances, and social networks shaped early 19th-century life around Panther Gap, near Goshen. She will also discuss how these historic patterns, traced from documents penned two centuries ago, inspire modern weavers to create vibrant reproductions today. 

4 PM | Rockbridge Historical Society Museum, 101 E. Washington Street
After the program at the church, attendees can head two blocks down Main Street to view the complementary exhibit, Rockbridge Weavers,”at the RHS Museum with an opportunity to see the loom in action, and to chat with some of the contemporary weavers who've brought these materials to life, and light.