This album quilt top, belonged to Adaline Wharton Street, the donor’s grandmother. The quilt top is composed of twenty-four 7¾-inch blocks pieced in the “Flying Geese” or “Goose in the Pond” pattern. Except for four blocks in the center made of green and white cottons, the rest of the top utilizes roller-printed cottons. This unfinished quilt top has a 4-inch border along one side.
Adaline was born in Pennsylvania in 1820. She married Jonathan Street (1843) and in 1855 they settled in Wenona, Illinois. The dates on this quilt top are 1859 and 1869. There are several signatures, most with the surname of “MCarty” or “McCarty”. It is not possible to determine whether these are blocks from Pennsylvania or Adaline’s new home in Illinois. Album quilts were popular items during the mid-19th century, often given to friends or family moving to new locations.