Quilt

Period1976

Place MadeNew Jersey, U.S.A.

MediumCotton, cotton corduroy, printed cotton calico, beads, embroidery embellishments

Dimensions108 × 92 in. (274.3 × 233.7 cm)

ClassificationsQuilts and Coverlets

Credit LineGift of the Jersey Shore Branch of the American Association of University Women, 1976

Object number1978.9

DescriptionA large rectangular quilt comprised of thirty appliqued blocks set five by six with bold red cotton sashing and a wide red border. The blocks commemorate a wide variety of Monmouth County historic and modern locations and sites. Blocks and makers include: Row 1: Monmouth Park (Peggy Appleby); Ocean Grove Auditorium (Agnes Jones); Shellfish (Pat Rice); Camp Evans (June Rozniak); Allaire State Park (Barbara Bassell). Row 2: Sandy Hook Lighthouse (Gail Brennan); Lenni Lenape Indians (Frances Jervis); Navesink River Regatta (Betty Nelligan); Ocean Fish (Terry Patterson); Apple Orchard (Joyce Mingo). Row 3: Horse Farm (Diana Kayal); Belmar Boat Basin (Jeanne Reilly); County Flag (Joanne Carton); Wester County Farmland (Cecile Dimon); Our Victorian Heritage (Jane Kuehne). Row 4: Garden State Arts Center (Marjorie Hults); Asbury Park Boardwalk (Pat Forsyth); Outline Map (Cathi Wolf); Twin Lights (Joan Grimm); Winter Beach (Doris Sumrall). Row 5: Christ Church, Shrewsbury (Barbara Thompson); Native Wildflowers (Judy Weaver); Molly Pitcher at Old Tennent Church (Janice Pierce); Wild Fowl (Judy Conover); The Allen House, Shrewsbury (Bobbie Spearel). Row 6: New York & Long Branch Railroad West End (Sue Gardner); Mansquan Inlet (Rita Hamill); Monmouth County Historical Association (Jean Wengler); Bird's eye View of Sandy Hook (Jean Mohn); Monmouth College Gates (Ann Flynn). "AAUW 1976" is stitched along the bottom edge of the quilt. The quilt was accompanied by a plaque listing the sponsors.
NotesThis stunning Bicentennial-era quilt was made by women of Monmouth County, celebrating the historic sites and landscapes of Monmouth County, New Jersey. After display at a number of local and regional locations, the quilt was finally donated to the Historical Association in 1978 by the American Association of University Women (AAUW), which had the quilt made to promote and raise funds for its scholarship program. The quilt appeared in local newspapers, including the August 15, 1975 issue of the Shrewsbury Daily Register, where the quilt was photographed with three of the quilt's thirty makers (Mrs. Donald Forsyth, Mrs. Kenneth Dimon, and Mrs. Oliver B. Conover). The quilt was displayed that summer at the Allen House in Shrewsbury. The historic house, one of the Association's 18th century sites, was newly restored and opened to the public in time for the Bicentennial. The completed quilt represented hundreds of hours of planning, design, sewing, and completion. According to interviews with the quilters, all natural fabrics (specifically 100% cotton fabrics) were deliberately chosen to ensure the longevity of the finished quilt. All blocks were quilted in the "blind applique" technique.

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