Welcome

Welcome to the Cayutaville Quilt and Other Stories site. In the year 1872, twenty-two year old Irene Lydia Sharpe (“Rene” – pronounced: “Reene“) moved from her home in Cayutaville, NY to Turkey Hill near Etna, NY to work in a nearby hotel. Rene brought with her a trunk that contained all her possesions including a signature quilt, some calling cards, the 1864 diary of an adopted sister, Elizabeth “Libbie” Harvey Sharpe, and an album containing many unidentified Carte-de-Visite (CDV) photographs. The trunk and its contents eventually were passed down to Rene’s great-granddaughter. This site will explore many of the stories that had been held secret inside the trunk for so many years.