By: Peyton Ruud
As the tires come to a stop on the narrow one-way street, an old Victorian-style house built in the 1890s by Judge Leroy Franklin Box sits in front of you. The yellow base with teal trim stands out in the small town of Ashville, Alabama.
Judge Box was a well-known throughout the town. He held many offices throughout his life, from judge to lawyer and his role as the first superintendent of education in Saint Clair County.
Judge Box died at the age of 57, never getting to see his extravagant house finished. He left the home to his family. Over the years, the house sat empty until Pat Drake decided to buy the 125-year-old home.
Strolling in, she found the home in disarray. She restored the house with many of its original pieces, ensuring that every inch of the house was put back to its original 1890s state.
Using mixtures of caulk and nature-colored paints, she fills cake pipes to create designs along the top trim in the front room of the four-bedroom home. “It was hard climbing up and down the ladder to do that,” said Drake.
The sun peeks through the pink and green floral design at the front door. As she speaks about creating the stained glass, her smile grows. “I put a lot of work into this house. My hands have touched every inch of these walls,” Drake said.
After three years of renovating, Drake finally finished the home and opened a tearoom. She kept the tearoom open for seven years but eventually had to close the shop.
She was not sure what would come next, even debating selling the home. She finally had the idea to open the house as a quilt shop as her life-long love for quilting kept inspiring her.
In the beginning, she sold miles of fabric and taught people how to quilt in her small shed that matches the house called the “schoolhouse.” But that was before Covid-19 took over the world.
In 2020, Tiffany Harned, Drake’s partner, decided to create a YouTube channel so that people would still be able to learn from home. “Since we haven’t been able to meet with the Covid restrictions, it kind of goes through the block of the month step by step,” said Harned.
Today, they do not offer quilting lessons in person. The pandemic changed the business.
Not only did that impact that side of the business, but everyone seemed to start to sew. The need for masks skyrocketed, creating a high demand for sewing. “There wasn’t a sewing machine that you could buy anywhere,” said Drake.
On the front of the old yellow schoolhouse is a painted quilt that brings many people to the area. When they follow the Alabama Barn Quilt Trail, they find themselves at this lovely location, where they can see more than just the yellow paint with blue and red triangles on top.
The attraction brings many people to the shop, with six people already coming in on an early morning in March. But they find themselves seeing so much more. Intrigued by the home more than the painting. “Everybody likes to see the house when they come in,” said Drake.
For 11 years, Drake’s doors have been wide open to anyone wanting to come to see the house. Customers come from near and far to get to see the Victorian home. Walking around the four rooms downstairs, they pass miles of fabrics available for purchase, from flower patterns to zebra print. Drake and Harned have it all.
The Ashville Quilt House is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. You can call to let them know you are coming at (205)594-7046. They take walk-ins as well at the home at 35 Third St. in Ashville.
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