The Waldoboro Museum Rug

The Waldoboro Museum Rug, 30 1/2" x 24 1/2", #3- and 4-cut wool on fine cotton.  Designed and hooked by Jacqueline Hansen, Scarborough, Maine, 2010. 

It was love at first sight when I discovered my first Waldoboro rug at an antique auction here in Maine. As a rug teacher and antique collector, I knew I was looking at something very special. Waldoboro rugs were “hoved” (hooked higher than normal) and clipped to form a high pile in a three-dimensional manner. This technique gives a luxurious texture to the rugs; sometimes, you can find pile as high as three inches.

Waldoboro is a village on the Medomak and Muscongus Bay in Maine. This coastal town was settled by German immigrants in 1740. Large land grants all along the Atlantic seaboard were given at that time by English kings. General Samuel Waldo was one of the recipients. He recruited many of his fellow Germans to help him with the settlement in the new country, and he felt that these people were of great strength of character.

This article is from the June/July/August 2012 issue. For more information on our issues, check out our issues page.