A pillow made from a local WWI veteran's uniform has been chosen as one of Virginia's top ten endangered artifacts for 2018.

During renovations to the ca. 1800 Rector House in Atoka the staff of the Mosby Heritage Area Association discovered a pillow, clearly stored for years, forgotten, in the home's attic.

The pillowcase was unique, fashioned from uniform and hat fragments dating to the First World War.

The initials "M.B.R." embroidered on the back are no doubt those of Maurice Bryant Rector, who lived in the home for most of his life and operated the nearby Atoka store.

Maurice was drafted in the fall of 1918, and sent to Washington, D.C. to train as an electrician. The war ended before Maurice's training was finished, so he never served overseas.

Sometime after his return to Fauquier County the pillow was put together as a souvenir of his brief military service.

For decades the pillow remained in the attic of the Rector House, now headquarter for the Mosby Heritage Area Association. Happily it suffered minimal light and moth damage.

Now, the Mosby Heritage Area Association would like to make it the centerpiece of a display on the history of the home and its occupants. To do this a textile conservator must stabilize the fragile fabric and create a display case that protects the pillow from further damage.

The MHAA staff consulted a number of WWI historians and military collectors, none of whom had ever seen an item like the Rector pillow.

Virginia Army National Guard Historian Alexander Barnes agreed, calling the pillow "a most unique memento." This rare status helped the pillow secure a spot in the Virginia Association of Museums "Top Ten Endangered Artifacts" list for 2018.

Since 2011 ten artifacts are chosen each year from around the Commonwealth for their cultural and historic significance.

An online poll is conducted and the artifacts with the greatest number of votes win grants to help with their preservation.

This year's poll will run from January 22nd—31st. To vote or to learn more about the Top Ten program please visit https://www.vamuseums.org/virginiastop-10-endangered-artifacts