Quilts of the Underground Railroad facts for kids

The idea of Quilts of the Underground Railroad is a belief that special quilts were used to send secret messages to enslaved African people. These messages would help them escape to freedom using the Underground Railroad. However, many historians disagree about whether this really happened.

The Idea of Secret Quilt Messages

Some books and people believe that quilts held hidden codes for those escaping slavery.

Gladys-Marie Fry's Research

In her 1990 book, Stitched from the Soul, Gladys-Marie Fry suggested that quilts shared information about the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad was a secret network of safe places and people. It helped African Americans escape from slavery in the United States and reach freedom, often in Canada. While the idea that quilts and songs were used for secret messages is debated, escaping slavery often involved very careful and secret planning.

Hidden in Plain View Book

The 1999 book Hidden in Plain View explored how quilts might have been used for secret communication. This book was written by Raymond Dobard, an art historian, and Jacqueline Tobin, a college instructor.

The idea for their book came from Ozella McDaniel Williams. She told Tobin that her family had a long-standing story. It said that quilt patterns like "wagon wheels," "log cabins," and "wrenches" were used to guide people on the Underground Railroad.

Williams explained that these quilts had ten special squares. Each square held a message about how to escape. For example, a "monkey wrench" pattern meant to gather tools and supplies. A "star" pattern meant to head north.

The book suggests there was a quilt code. This code used special knots, quilt block shapes, colors, and names to send messages.

In 2007, Jacqueline Tobin spoke to Time magazine. She said it was hard to be criticized for sharing this family story. She wasn't sure if it was completely true, but it made sense with their research. Raymond Dobard added that people might have misunderstood the code. He said their book was meant to be a starting point for people to think and share stories. He called it "informed guessing," not a book with lots of proven facts.

Expert Opinion

Maud Wahlman, an expert in folk art, thinks the idea could be true. She wrote the introduction for Hidden in Plain View. Wahlman mentioned that in some African traditions, secret groups use codes. To learn these deeper meanings, you must prove you are worthy and keep the secrets.

See also

• Cecelia Pedescleaux, Underground Railroad quilt researcher and quilter