Kiddy Kat Quilts: The Underground Railroad

Hariett Tubman

Underground Railroad Quilts - Fact or Fiction?

There are intriguing stories of how quilting was used to help the slaves escape through the Underground Railroad. A Log Cabin quilt hanging in a window with a black center for the chimney hole was said to indicate a safe house. It is disappointing to learn that research on the Underground Railroad has found no evidence that this actually occurred. But these stories have been told from generation to generation filling our imagination with visions of quilting being a part of the flight for freedom.

Underground Railroad Map

Although unsubstantiated. many theories have survived that quilts were made containing special symbols, a way to ommunicate non-verbally along the Underground Railway. Unsubstantiated but not proven wrong. You just have to pick which side of the debate you want to be on.

More on the Underground Railroad Quilts

Hariett Tubman

Harriet Tubman (born Araminta Ross, c. March 1822 – March 10, 1913) was an American abolitionist and social activist. After escaping slavery, Tubman made some 13 missions to rescue approximately 70 enslaved people, including her family and friends, using the network of antislavery activists and safe houses known collectively as the Underground Railroad.

During the American Civil War, she served as an armed scout and spy for the Union Army. In her later years, Tubman was an activist in the movement for women's suffrage. Wikipedia

"I was the conductor of the Underground Railroad for eight years, and I can say what most conductors can't say — I never ran my train off the track and I never lost a passenger."

-Harriet Tubman, 1896

Underground Railroad Quilt Code Patterns

(Adapted from Ozella McDaniel Williams, as reported in “Hidden in Plain View: A Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad” by Jacqueline L. Tobin and Raymond G. Dobard. Published by Doubleday in 1999. Softcover edition by First Anchor Books, 2000.)

Monkey Wrench

Prepare the tools you'll need for the long journey, including the mental and spiritual tools. Or (as a Ship's Wheel), the pilot is prepared to begin the transport.

Wagon Wheel

Load the wagon or prepare to board the wagon to begin the escape.

Bears Paw

Take a mountain trail, out of view. Follow the path made by bear tracks; they can lead you to water and food.

Crossroads

Refers to Cleveland, Ohio, a destination offering several routes to freedom. It also signifies reaching a point where a person's life will change, so one must be willing to go on.