Recently, the archives received from someone completely unaffiliated with WWC a friendship quilt that had been given to the Dorland-Bell School. [DB was a girls' school located in Hot Springs, about an hour north of Asheville. It was established in the 1888 by the Rev. Luke and Juliette Dorland, retired Presbyterian home missionaries. The school joined with the Farm School in 1942 to create Warren Wilson Junior College at the start of WWII.] The donor bought it at an auction near Cullowhee for $40. He then drove up here and gave it to the WWC Archives. I'm currently doing some research about the quilt and about friendship quilts in general. I hope to place the quilt on display during the final few weeks of classes. After that, I'll box it up for preservation.

What a wonderful gift! The donor did not ask for payment. However, he runs a non-profit shelter for cats, and he asked for donations to that. I gave him a donation. If you'd like to help our donor out, please contact me and I'll give you the information.

These unexpected moments of grace and gifts make being an archivist rewarding.