"In the peaceful countryside, on the edge of Kentucky's bluegrass, stands a house of many windows where magic is woven every day."

For 85 years, Churchill Weavers produced distinctive handwoven clothing and home textiles in Berea, Kentucky. Talented owners and employees helped it become one of Kentucky's most beloved handcraft businesses. Faced with foreign competition and downsizing, the business was auctioned in 2007.

The Kentucky Historical Society was able to purchase the Churchill Weavers Collection, which includes:

• over 250,000 fabric samples


• tools


• looms


• photographs


• business records and more!

"Magic in the Weaving: The Churchill Weavers Collection Revealed" tells the story of this signature acquisition. The exhibitions showed how Kentucky Historical Society curators and archivists are preserving this Kentucky collection for future generations.

Read the "Magic in the Weaving" Exhibition Journal.

Learn more about the collection in our online digital archives.