The Burgoyne Surrounded quilt pattern is a traditional American patchwork design named for British General John Burgoyne’s surrender after the Battles of Saratoga in 1777, a major turning point in the American Revolution.

In the usual interpretation of the design:

• The large central squares represent Burgoyne and his British troops.
• The smaller squares and chains surrounding them represent the American forces that encircled the British army.
• The repeating arrangement across the quilt reinforces the visual idea of an army being surrounded.

Despite its Revolutionary War name, the design is nineteenth-century or earlier in form.  One of the best documented is an 1852 quilt by Martha A. Page, now in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Historians credit the Revolutionary War interpretation of this quilt as a nostalgic/patriotic name given during the Colonial Revival of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

The Maple Shade Quilters of Northern York Historical and Preservation Society (NYCHAPS) began work on this quilt to celebrate America’s 250^th. Designed by member, Winni Flynn, the Maple Shade Quilters spent more than a year designing, cutting, assembling and hand quilting this fascinating quilt. 30 blocks each containing 97 small pieces, plus sashing, corner blocks, borders, and binding. This totals over 3200 pieces in the making of this quilt. Additionally, the time devoted to creating this masterpiece was 890 hours by the time it was finished.

This special queen-sized quilt will be auctioned using a Blind Bid system. Participants may submit a confidential bid by filling out an on-line or paper form. Bids will be collected throughout the auction period. Once the deadline passes, all bids will be reviewed and the highest bidder notified. The proceeds from this auction will be donated to NYCHAPS for continuation of their mission: to strengthen our community by cultivating an appreciation of the heritage of Northern York County through preservation, education and living history.

The Burgoyne Surrounded Quilt may be viewed during Farmers Market Saturdays and Sunday tours at Dills Tavern. Bids may be placed between October 1^st through November 8^th. The starting bid will begin at $1,200.