Stitching the Republic: Compassion, Education, and Memory in Sandwich

This embroidered scene of The Good Samaritan was created by Martha (“Patty”) Bourne Bassett (1796–1865), likely while she attended Sandwich Academy between 1806 and 1808. In the early republic, young women’s education combined reading and writing with ornamental needlework, reinforcing moral and religious instruction alongside practical skill.

The story of the Good Samaritan — a traveler who stops to aid an injured stranger — emphasized compassion, responsibility, and care for one’s neighbor. In small New England communities, especially during harsh winters, those values were more than symbolic — they were essential.

Donated to the Historical Society in 1914 by Mary Eliza Nye, Bassett’s great-granddaughter, the embroidery links early nineteenth-century education to later generations who chose to preserve that history.

As we mark America’s 250th anniversary, objects like this remind us that national character was shaped not only in legislatures and on battlefields, but in classrooms, homes, and acts of everyday kindness.

America at 250 🇺🇸— Collection Focus #America250 #SandwichMAHistoricalSociety
The ideals of the republic were stitched into daily life — and later preserved across generations.