A Townsend Plan Quilt

In 1933, Dr. Francis E. Townsend proposed a monthly federal pension of $200 for elderly Americans. The plan was widely popular (if economically suspect), and Townsend Clubs sprung up across America to push for its implementation, despite the passage of a more modest Social Security Act in 1935.

In 1940, the Townsend Club of Mitchell, South Dakota, produced a quilt in support of the plan. It is adorned with the names of local businesses and individuals who presumably contributed to the quilt's construction. The image above shows a portion of the quilt; the full quilt is composed of a 9 x 9 grid of quilt blocks.

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From Country Quilts: styles, patterns, and techinques from past to present. Time-Life books, 1989. Photo is credited to "America Hurrah, NYC."