Methodist Episcopal Church Quilt 1894-1897
This quilt, about 6 ½ feet square, is embroidered with an image of the church, surrounded by 32 daisies. Within the daisies are more than 600 names, all hand-stitched. Click here for “EF Historical Society solves mystery of ‘Daisy Quilt’” from East Falls NOW. Click any of the buttons to learn more.
Methodist Episcopal Church Quilt 1894-1897
This very special quilt was donated to the East Falls Historical Society by the Clayton family who were former residents of East Falls. It is 6 ½ foot square, white with red embroidery. The center rectangle has the embroidered outline of a church, surrounded by 32 squares, each with a red daisy and names stitched within. The church on the quilt is an image of the Methodist Episcopal Church of East Falls. The pastor’s name, Reverend R.A. McIlwain and the words “Pearls of Price” are stitched around the outline of the church. “Pearls” appears to refer to the bible parable which describes the great value the Kingdom of Heaven places on believers. According to Wikipedia, The Methodist Episcopal Church became the Methodist Church in 1939. In 1968 it was renamed again as the United Methodist Church. At that time the building became the Falls United Methodist Church, which is located on Indian Queen Lane and Krail Street. It currently houses office space and boasts organ pipes as decoration.
There are hundreds of family names embroidered within the daisy petals on the quilt along with dates 1894 to 1897. On one particular flower were embroidered the words, “Nearly three years was the quilt in making – by it, $200 was raised for the Church.”
Click on Any Daisy to see it in a new window
Search for your family name!
Click here to open the name index in a new window,
then come back to this page and click on the corresponding daisy.
Recollections – Memories Inspired by Names on the Quilt
CLAYTON
“My mother shopped at Claytons in the ’50’s. I don’t know where the shop was but I remember she would phone, and Mr. Clayton would come by the house to discuss what was good that day, she would order, and the food would be delivered! I can still picture her sitting at the kitchen table with him, discussing the options.”
–Frankie Jueds
[It was the Clayton family who donated the quilt to East Falls Historical Society. *Click here (PDF) to read Harry Prime’s recollection of Clayton Market.]
GOTWOLS
“I recognized the name Mrs. Gotwols. My stepfather was Earl Gotwols. He and his brothers, Harold and Web, went to the Methodist church. The three brothers played for the East Falls baseball team at Dobbins field, coached by Mike Cummings. They were all very good players.”
–Carol Dougherty (no relation to C. Dougherty on the quilt)
[Click here (PDF) to read more about the baseball brothers; and click here for an Oral History interview with Edith Gotwols]
SHRONK
“My family has a very long history in the East Falls and at the Methodist Church on Indian Queen Lane. I am Judith S. Briner; the middle initial is for my maiden name, Shronk. My parents were married in this church and I was baptized there as well.
“I know that in 1871, John Manuel Shronk (1845-1921), who owned a dry goods store on Ridge Ave and lived on Indian Queen Lane, was on the committee of several men who purchased the land where the church stands today. John Manuel was my great grandfather. John Manuel Shronk had a son, John Malcolm Shronk (my grandfather 1894-1977), a daughter Nellie Shronk, a daughter Ruth Shronk (who married George Stubblebine who had the butcher shop) and a son Leroy Shronk (1890-1960’s). Many of these names appear on the quilt. The generation prior to John Manuel Shronk was Peter K. Shronk who married Mary A. Mettinger. This Mettinger name appears several places on the quilt also.”
–Judith Briner
[Click here for an Oral History interview with Shirley Shronk and her daughter Judy; click here for a Fallser article about the family. Volumes 31 and 32 of the Chadwick Papers contain the correspondence of R.R. Shronk, 1904 to 1921.]
