FREEPORT – The Freeport Historical Society will be holding its third annual Historic Barns and Quilts tour on Saturday, Oct. 6, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

This event will feature visits to four unique barns built during the late 18th through the early 20th centuries. Vintage and antique quilts selected to coincide with the timeframe of each barn will be on display.

Leading the tours are quilt expert Kathy Kenny and barn expert Don Perkins.

Kenny, a quilt historian, fiber artist, educator and lecturer, will talk about vintage quilts and the world of quilting. She has been involved nationally and locally in all aspects of quilting, including educating, exhibiting, designing, appraising and consulting. In addition to writing occasional articles on quilting, she is the Maine State Quilters Guild’s liaison to the New England Quilt Museum and presents her historical quilt lectures throughout New England.

Through the displayed vintage quilts, the society hopes to deepen the understanding of the economic role of women and how quilt patterns and styles reflect local, regional and national events. As the very fabric of rural life, quilts reflect the economy, personal choice and necessity of life. If you think quilts are just pretty, decorative coverings, then this part of the tour will change your mind. You’ll end this tour with a new appreciation of quilts, the stories they have to tell, and the area’s textile history.

Perkins, a journalist, educator and barn enthusiast, is a former woodworker with a long held passion for the history and craft associated with barns. He has spoken at area historical societies and has led barn tours. He is the author of the just-released book, “Our Barns: A History of the Barns of Maine.”

The social, cultural and economic lives of those who lived in coastal northern New England will be further illuminated through an examination of barns and quilts.

The event begins with coffee and orientation at Cotton Weeds Quilt Shop on Route 1 South in Freeport. After touring the final barn, there will be music by Peter Mezoian, a contemporary quilt exhibit, cider and doughnuts and a tour of the timber frame barn at the Houses and Barns by John Libby barn on Route 136, True Road in Freeport. Lunch is brown bag.

Tickets to the event, a fundraiser for the Freeport Historical Society, are $30 per person and must be purchased in advance. These can be purchased online at www.freeporthistoricalsociety.org. For more information, call 865-3170 or visit www.freeporthistoricalsociety.org.

A quilt is displayed at last year’s Historic Barns and Quilts tour, sponsored by the Freeport Historical Society. This year’s tour will be held on Oct. 6.