1909 Emaus, Pennsylvania

 

Garth's Auctions

Corner of an Emaus, Pennsylvania quilt dated 1909.

The style and strip pattern pieced of solids sometimes called Joseph's Coat is

a Pennsylvania regionalism.

In the summer of 1909 Emaus in Lehigh County

celebrated its fifty-year anniversary with a

Golden Jubilee celebration that included the biggest

parade the small Moravian town had ever seen.

They hired decorator W.I. Hipple of Reading

to dress the town. Mr. Hipple used a lot of bunting,

red and white, probably some blue for the national

colors and undoubtedly some gold for the Jubilee theme.

Emaus a few decades later

The local historical society tells us:

"The 4,000 residents of Emaus readied the town for the Aug. 1 to 7 celebration (Jubilation Week). Nearly all buildings were decorated — homes, town hall, schools, businesses, playgrounds, etc. Lights, streamers, banners, and other decorations adorned the streets and buildings 'in colors never before seen.' ”

We've seen those colors before. Someone saved the left over decorating 

cottons and made a quilt out of it.