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Why the name Black Swamp?
Thousands of years ago, the mile-thick glaciers receded and left us with the carved out beds of the Great Lakes, as well as the massive Black Swamp. It was an extensive series of marsh, swamp, and wetlands, interspersed with forests and grasslands that occupied a major portion of Northwest Ohio within the Maumee River and Portage River watersheds. At 100 miles long and 25 miles wide and approximately 1,500 square miles in size, it stretched from Northeast Indiana near Fort Wayne, east to Port Clinton, Ohio and south to Findlay and Lima, Ohio.
In the 1800s, the Black Swamp was drained by determined farmers, primarily of German descent. They subsequently turned it into the most productive farmland in Ohio. At the heart of it, lies Sauder Village in Archbold, the bucket list destination for traditional rug hookers from around the globe.
Since no national representation of ATHA, (Association of Traditional Hooking Artists) was in this area, a handful of rug hookers ( Joni Brunkhorst ~secretary, Cindi Gay ~vice-president, Kimberly Hirt ~treasurer, Rebecca Landin ~communications liaison, and Rita Thomas ~president) set out to rectify that situation. So, the Black Swamp Rug Hookers was born.
Check out this Wikipedia page for more information about the Great Black Swamp.
Guild News
- Susan’s Finish with Fancy Ribbon
This article was submitted by Susan Spieldenner Using this beautiful Indian ribbon to trim a rug was part of a class taken with Maddy Fraioli about using Indian textiles for rug hooking inspiration during Sauder Rug Week. I decided to do a mug rug sized piece before trying to trim my rug from class. The… - Winds of Change ChallengeOur guild has created this challenge for all members. It will display at the 2026 Sauder Rug Week Exhibit. Here are some clip art to get you started: These images were submitted by Rebecca Landin. Right click and Save each image you want to use. What will you design? Get started now. The deadline will…
- Grandma Navitsky’s Harvest CakeRita’s Grandmother’s Apple Cake recipe was a hit at the November 2025 guild meeting.
- Logo under ConstructionLeave your suggestions and preferences below in the comments. Tell Julie what features you like best. Maybe the solution is a combination.
- Meet the Founding MothersWhile the idea of the guild was born in April of 2023, we never took a photo during that time. Recently we were all at Sauder Village for a class with Donna Hrkman. This was taken in the lobby of the hotel. And here’s a photo of all the members that attended the class: We…
We are an ATHA guild.
To be a part of this guild, you need to be an ATHA member. Go to the ATHA website to pay dues and to browse articles and photos. Click here to see the instructions to submit photos to the ATHA website. Or go straight into submission: Click here and then click the red Submit a Rug button.