Ever Seen A Quilt On A Montana Barn?

There are a lot of back roads in Montana for you to drive on, and as someone who enjoys just getting in the car and driving, you'll see lot of interesting things when you do.

One thing I recently saw that piqued my curiosity was a quilt on a barn.

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I wasn't alone either, my wife and kids were also perplexed by why someone would put a quilt on their barn.

We came up with all sorts of ideas; barns get cold at night so farmers put the quilt there to keep them warm.

They give shade to animals that may be up in the barn and protects them from the sun.

Quilts aren't the only thing you'll see on a barn that you might wonder about.

READ NEXT: When You See Big Barnstars On Montana Barns This Is Why

The History Of Quilts On Barns

Turns out those quilts, which aren't really quilts but paintings, go way back to Revolutionary War.

Barns used to not be painted, and instead had artwork hung on them to identify who owned the barn.

As people learned quilting, those pieces of art soon began to resemble quilts which were called "Quilt Blocks."

Regarding quilts and the Revolutionary War we get this from the Southwestern Indiana Master Gardener Association,

During the Revolutionary War, “Barn Quilts” were used to show American forces that an area was safe, secure, and supplies were available. Years later during the Civil War, the Underground Railroad used Barn Quilts for the same purposes.

Today when you see the quilts they have once again been used for just decoration, but if anyone should ever ask you what they mean, now you know.