What Is The Significance Of Quilts In The Underground Railroad? (Suits you)

When slaves made their escape, they used their memory of the quilts as a mnemonic device to guide them safely along their journey, according to McDaniel. The historians believe the first quilt the seamstress would display had a wrench pattern.

Did quilts hold codes to the Underground Railroad?

• Did Quilts Hold Codes to the Underground Railroad? Two historians claim quilts may have contained encoded messages for enslaved people looking to escape through the Underground Railroad. Though others disagree, it is an intriguing idea.

What is the significance of barn quilts?

Barn quilts tell stories about individual farms, historical events or communities while also adding visual interest to the countryside and increasing rural tourism.

What were freedom quilts used for?

Stories and songs around the fire at night were coded messages to teach them the symbols to follow on the road. Abolitionists and freed slaves would make quilts using one coded pattern and hang them outside their homes as signs to lead fleeing slaves on the path to freedom.

What does the bow tie quilt mean?

Also known as the necktie or hourglass quilt, the bow tie quilt originated in the time of the pioneers setting in the Western part of America. A specific theory about the bow tie quilt blocks is that it was a symbol for slaves to dress up like rich people in order to travel safely.

Did slaves make quilts?

Slaves made quilts for the plantation family, sometimes under the supervision of the plantation mistress, but WPA interviews attest to the prevalence of quiltmaking in the slave quarters for their own use as well. Some slave seamstresses became highly regarded for their skill.

Where did quilting originate from?

Quilting can be traced back as far as ancient Egypt. In the British Museum is an ivory carving from the Temple of Osiris at Abydos found in 1903 which features the king of the First Egyptian Dynasty wearing a cloak or mantle that appears to be quilted.

Why are barns red?

Hundreds of years ago, many farmers would seal their barns with linseed oil, which is an orange-colored oil derived from the seeds of the flax plant. Rust was plentiful on farms and because it killed fungi and mosses that might grow on barns, and it was very effective as a sealant. It turned the mixture red in color.

How did quilts help slaves on the Underground Railroad?

The seamstress would hang the quilts in full view one at a time, allowing the slaves to reinforce their memory of the pattern and its associated meaning. When slaves made their escape, they used their memory of the quilts as a mnemonic device to guide them safely along their journey, according to McDaniel.

What was the quilt theory?

Quilts of the Underground Railroad describes a controversial belief that quilts were used to communicate information to African slaves about how to escape to freedom via the Underground Railroad. It has been disputed by a number of historians.

What does shoofly quilt mean?

Shoofly: A symbol that possibly identifies a person who can guide and help; a person who helped slaves escape along the Underground Railroad and who knew the codes. Some sources say it indicated a safe house along the Underground Railroad.

What is Quilt language?

Graphic Wit—the visual language of quilts First and foremost, quilt language is based upon patterns and their manipulation. Quilts speak through their arrangement of visual elements, regardless of whether they are pieced or appliquéd, made with a commonly used pattern or one that is unique to an individual quilt maker.

Did quilting originate in Africa?

Leon has found that much of the American patchwork quilt tradition may be derived from African designs. Leon further speculates that some patterns that were to become standard in American patchwork quilts originated in African textiles and carried over into African-American quilts.

Where did patchwork quilts originate?

Quilting originated in Sweden in the fifteenth century with heavily stitched and appliquéd quilts made for the very wealthy. These quilts, created from silk, wool, and felt, were intended to be both decorative and functional and were found in churches and in the homes of nobility.

Did Quilts Hold Codes to the Underground Railroad?

According to two scholars, African American slaves may have utilized a patchwork code to navigate the Underground Railroad during their time as slaves. According to the duo, quilts with designs such as “wagon wheel,” “tumbling blocks,” and “bear’s paw” appear to have included secret signals that guided slaves to freedom. The quilt code idea was initially proposed by Jacqueline Tobin and Raymond Dobard in their book Hidden in Plain View: A Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad, which was released in 1998 and has been around for six years.

McDaniel maintains that the secret of the quilt code was passed down from one generation to the next by her foremothers and forefathers.

The Code

McDaniel detailed the code in a series of conversations with Tobin and Dobard, which included the following: Plantation seamstresses would create a sampler quilt, which would have several distinct quilt designs. Slaves would learn the code with the help of the sampler. The seamstress then stitched ten quilts, each of which was made up of a different design from the code. The quilts would be hung in plain view by the seamstress one at a time, allowing the slaves to reinforce their recall of the design and the meaning connected with the pattern.

• According to historians, the first quilt made by the seamstress to be displayed had a wrench pattern on it.
• In this pattern, slaves were instructed to pack their possessions because they would be embarking on a lengthy journey.
• “You were intended to follow in the bear’s actual footsteps,” Dobard explained.
• When Dobard finished the last quilt, she used a tumbling blocks design that she described as appearing like a collection of boxes.

“It was only exhibited when specific requirements were met, and that was the case with this quilt. If, for example, there was an agent of the Underground Railroad in the vicinity, “Dobard expressed himself. “It was a clear indicator that it was time to pack up and leave.”

Fact or Myth?

Since its publication, the quilt-code idea has been the subject of heated debate. Quilt historians and experts on the Underground Railroad have questioned the methods used in the study, as well as the veracity of its conclusions. Giles R. Wright, a historian located in New Jersey, argues that there is a scarcity of supporting material. Quilt codes are not mentioned in either the slave narratives from the nineteenth century or the oral accounts of former slaves from the 1930s. In addition, there are no original quilts left.

• “They provide no proof, no paperwork, in support of that claim,” says the author.
• I was thinking to myself, “Who is going to take notes on their actions and what they meant.it may get into the wrong hands?” Dobard expressed himself.
• “Take, for example, the nature of quilts.
• “It is unreasonable to expect a quilt that has been kept within the slave community for more than a hundred years to still be in existence.” Fact or fiction, most people agree that the concept of a patchwork code is intriguing.

Breaking News, Analysis, Politics, Blogs, News Photos, Video, Tech Reviews

The following is an excerpt from the book “Hidden in Plain View” by Raymond Dobard:” Some consider this quilt, which has a “Evening Star” design on it, to be a secret code that slaves used to navigate their way to freedom through the Underground Railroad. While researching a family legend that messages encoded in quilts assisted slaves escaping to freedom on the Underground Railroad for their book Hidden in Plain View: A Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad (Random House), Jacqueline Tobin and Raymond Dobard had no idea that their hypothesis would spark controversy from scholars who declared it false.

For Tobin, a writer and educator, “Hidden in Plain Viewis the tale of one woman’s family,” says the book’s title character, Ozella McDaniel Williams, who she met in a Charleston, South Carolina market in 1994 and who told her about the codes that she had never heard of before.

With no historical evidence to support Williams’ claim, Tobin enlisted her friend Raymond Dobard, a quilter and art history professor affiliated with Howard University, to assist her with the research and writing of the book, which is now in its sixth printing and has sold more than 200,000 copies to date.

Although I am unsure as to whether or not it is fully valid, the quantity of research we conducted leads me to believe it is.

As he points out, “the Underground Railroad is filled with inaccuracies and disinformation, and this is just one more case where someone stumbles across folklore and believes it to be genuine.” Historians like Wright are working hard to correct the record whenever the opportunity presents itself.

1. In their belief, this is a myth analogous to George Washington cutting down the cherry tree, and they spend pages and pages on websites denying it.
2. Even more recently, quilt historian Barbara Brackman wrote her own book, Facts and Fabrications: Unraveling the History of Quilts and Slavery (C T Publishing), in which she attempted to provide what she believes to be an accurate appraisal of slavery, quilts, and the Underground Railroad.
3. Approximately 6,500 students from local schools have visited the exhibit, which demonstrates the thesis of the patchwork code.
4. In addition, the narrative has appeared in lesson plans and textbooks (TIME For Kidseven published an article aboutHidden in Plain Viewin a middle school art book published by McGraw Hill in 2005).
5. Although some people, such as Anna Lopez, an education coordinator at the Plymouth Historical Museum, believe that the concept of quilt codes is a fabrication, others, like as Lopez, believe that it is a true story.
6. Men are the ones who do it.
7. Then I inquire as to who produced the quilts.
8. Who knows what happened since no one wrote down their history.” Activist and photographer Roland Freeman, who has been photographing and documenting African American quilters for almost 30 years, offers a different view on why the subject has gained so widespread attention.
9. We’re sending messages and symbols right under the noses of white people, and they haven’t even realized it.
10. As a result, we are inclined to accept such stories because they are what we want to hear.” Laurel Horton, a folklorist and quilt historian who has taught and published papers on the quilt code, has stated that she has given up on attempting to dispel the idea about the code.
11. “This entire situation has made me realize that it is not a question of one group knowing the truth and another not.

In this case, it comes down to two separate sets of beliefs. It’s made me understand that believing doesn’t have much to do with accurate portrayal of the world around us. People have a gut feeling that something is real, and no one can persuade them differently in their heads.”

History of underground railroad quilts, african quilts

The quilts of the underground railroad have an interesting history, which you can read about here. Although there is no written record of the codes that may have been present, historians have discovered some trustworthy evidence in documented verbal testimonies that demonstrate the significance of the quilts in aiding slaves on their journey to liberty.

Harriet Tubman and The Under ground Railroad

Harriet Tubman is widely recognized as the founder of the Underground Railroad, which assisted thousands of slaves in their escape from southern plantations during the mid-nineteenth century. However, what is less widely known is the fact that quilts were used to guide slaves to freedom in the northern states during the Civil War. Quilt designs included a complicated system of codes, and those attempting to flee learned how to read the codes as they made their way down the Underground Railway’s path.

Because the majority of black people who were confined in slavery were unable to write or read, it was vital to devise a straightforward method of delivering the information.

The quilts may include information about which road to go, where a safe place could be found, and/or where to contact individuals who would be willing to provide food and shelter for a night or more.

Among the countless songs, dances, and gestures that slaves had created were some that carried signals and information that were critical to their survival.

Forming landscape quilts to guide

The codes that were used in the Underground Railroad quilts were devised by slaves, freed blacks, and white individuals who were opposed to the system of slavery and who wanted to see slavery abolished. It was imperative that these codes be kept secret, and even the smallest children were aware that this knowledge was to be kept safe at all times. African people were the originators of many of the patterns that may be found in Underground Railway quilts. During the traumatic years of slavery, they were passed down from one generation to the next and served as a means of preserving their history and culture alive for future generations.

Patterns with specific knots, stitching colors, or shape can provide an abundance of information.

Given the fact that quilts were typical household objects, they could be hung from trees and fences, as well as from windows, porches, and clotheslines, where they would be plainly visible to anybody passing by.

Because this was the method by which quilts were washed and aired out, they did not draw the notice of slave owners, overseers, or those who were paid to track down fugitive slaves and their descendants.

Log cabin quilt patterns

The Star, the Monkey Wrench, and the Crossroads were among the designs that were supposed to have direct significance for persons traveling on the Underground Railway system. There are three further patterns that are said to have included crucial directions and signals for fleeing slaves. These are the Tumbling Blocks, Bear’s Paws, and Wagon Wheel motifs. An indication of where to locate food was provided by the Nine Patch pattern, while the Log Cabin design in a quilt provided information about shelters that were available to those who needed it.

1. Having a blue center on the Log Cabin design might indicate that the pattern is associated with a safe haven.
2. A quilt’s role in our history has been rather intriguing, since it has had a purpose other than simply being decorative and keeping us warm.
3. We know what we know, we believe what we believe, and we are inspired by what we have learned about the Underground Railroad quilt codes.
4. This means that if you click on a link and make a purchase, I may get a commission on the sale.

Quilts of the Underground Railroad – Wikipedia

Describes a contentious concept that quilts were used to relay information to African slaves about how they may escape to freedom via the Underground Railroad, as described in Quilts of the Underground Railroad. A lot of historians have expressed their disagreement with this claim.

Books that emphasize quilt use

In her book, Stitched from the Soul (1990), Gladys-Marie Fry asserted that quilts were used to communicate safe houses and other information about the Underground Railroad, which was a network of “conductors,” meeting places, and safe houses that ran through the United States and into Canada, facilitating the emancipation of African Americans from slavery and into freedom. Historiologists, on the other hand, are divided on whether quilts and songs were used to spread information about the Underground Railroad.

Ozella McDaniel Williams provided the inspiration for the book, telling Tobin that her family had handed down a narrative for centuries about how quilt designs such as wagon wheels, log homes, and wrenches were used to help slaves travel the Underground Railroad.

It began with a monkey wrench, which signified the need to gather all of the essential goods and equipment, and concluded with a star, which signified the need to travel north.

Tobin noted in a 2007 Time magazine article: “It’s distressing to be attacked while also being denied the opportunity to commemorate this remarkable oral history of one family’s experience.” I have no clue whether or not it is totally valid, but it seems sense given the quantity of research we conducted.” “I believe there has been a tremendous lot of misunderstanding concerning the code,” Dobard stated.

When Jackie and I wrote the book, we set out to suggest that it was a collection of directions.

“In Africa, there is a long-standing history of secret organizations controlling the coding of information.

In order to acquire the deeper meaning of symbols, you must first demonstrate your merit of knowing these higher meanings by not disclosing them to others,” she explained. The foreword of Hidden in Plain View was written by Wahlman.

Response

Giles Wright, a specialist on the Underground Railroad, claims that the book is based on legend that has not been corroborated by any reliable sources. He also stated that there are no quilting codes mentioned in any memoirs, diaries, or Works Progress Administration interviews done in the 1930s with ex-slaves that have been discovered. Quilt historians Kris Driessen, Barbara Brackman, and Kimberly Wulfert do not subscribe to the premise that quilts were used to transmit messages about the Underground Railroad, as claimed by certain historians.

• Well-known historians did not feel that the idea was correct and could not see any relationship between Douglass and this viewpoint.
• Blight “At some time, the true stories of fugitive slave escape, as well as the far bigger story of those slaves who were never able to flee, must take precedence over fiction as a primary focus of educational endeavors.
• Despite this, there are museums, schools, and other organizations who think the narrative is factual.
• Using the quilts as an example, he compares the code to the phrase in ” Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” in which slaves intended fleeing but their owners believed they were going to die.

See also

• Cecelia Pedescleaux is a quilt scholar and quilter who specializes on the Underground Railroad.

References

1. Celeste-Marie Bernier and Hannah Durkin are two of the most talented people in the world (2016). Across the African Diaspora, artists have created artworks that depict slavery. pp. 76–77, published by Oxford University Press. Jacqueline L. Tobin and Raymond G. Dobard (ISBN 978-1-78138-267-7) are the authors (1999). Quilts and the Underground Railroad have a secret history that has been kept hidden in plain sight. Doubleday Publishing Company, New York, N.Y., ISBN 0-385-49137-9
2. Abc Stacie Stukin is a woman who lives in the United States (2007-04-03). “Unraveling the Myth of Quilts and the Underground Railroad” is a book on quilts and the Underground Railroad. TIME. The original version of this article was published on April 29, 2007. Obtainable on January 23, 2013
3. Abcdef Noam Cohen is a writer and musician from New York City (January 23, 2007). Douglass Tribute is a work in which Slave Folklore and Fact collide. The New York Times is a newspaper published in New York City. ISSN0362-4331. Donna Lagoy and Laura Seldman (Donna Lagoy and Laura Seldman, eds) (September 5, 2016). Chester, New York, was a stop on the Underground Railroad in the Adirondacks. p. 128. ISBN 978-1-62585-701-9
4. Reynolds, Glenn (2007). “quilts.” Arcadia Publishing Incorporated. p. 128. ISBN 978-1-62585-701-9
5. Reynolds, Glenn (2007). “quilts.” According to Junius P. Rodriguez (ed.). The Slave Resistance and Rebellion Encyclopedia is a resource for those interested in the history of slave resistance and rebellion. Pages 407–409 in Greenwood Publishing Group’s book. 978-0-313-33273-9
6. Abcd
7. ISBN 978-0-313-33273-9 Andrew Bartholomew is a writer and poet (February 1, 2007). “Prof. Douglass debunks the Douglass myth.” The Yale Daily News is a daily newspaper published by Yale University. Donna Lagoy and Laura Seldman (Donna Lagoy and Laura Seldman, 2017)
8. Retrieved on March 19, 2017. (September 5, 2016). Chester, New York, was a stop on the Underground Railroad in the Adirondacks. Publisher: Arcadia Publishing Incorporated, p. 127, ISBN: 978-1-62585-701-9
9. ISBN: 978-1-62585-701-9 Barbara Brackman is a writer and editor who lives in New York City (November 5, 2010). FactsFabrications-Unraveling the History of QuiltsSlavery: 8 Projects – 20 Blocks – First-Person AccountsFactsFabrications-Unraveling the History of QuiltsSlavery: 8 Projects – 20 Blocks – First-Person Accounts C T Publishing Inc., p. 7, ISBN 978-1-60705-386-6
10. AbFergus M. Bordewich, p. 7, ISBN 978-1-60705-386-6
11. (February 2, 2007). “History’s Tangled Threads” (History’s Tangled Threads). The New York Times is a newspaper published in New York City. ISSN0362-4331. 30 April 2012
12. Retrieved 30 April 2012
13. Diane Cole is a woman who works in the fashion industry (2012). “Were Quilts Used as Underground Railroad Maps? – US News and World Report” (Were Quilts Used as Underground Railroad Maps?) usnews.com. 30th of April, 2012
14. Retrieved

Sources

• Brackman, Barbara (1997)Quilts from the Civil War: Nine Projects, Historic Notes, and Diary Entries, ISBN1-57120-033-9
• Burns, Eleanor
• Sue Bouchard (1997)Quilts from the Civil War: Nine Projects, Historic Notes, and Diary Entries, ISBN1-57120-033-9 (2003). The Underground Railroad Sampler is a collection of short stories about the Underground Railroad. Isbn 978-1-891776-13-7
• Cord, Xenia (Quilt in a Day) (March 2006). “The Underground Railroad” is a term that refers to a network of tunnels and passageways that connect cities to the rest of the world. Patchwork is really popular right now.14 (3). Fellner, Leigh (2010) “Betsy Ross redux: The quilt code.”
• Frazier, Harriet C. (2012) “Betsy Ross redux: The quilt code” (1 July 2004). Runaway and freed Missouri slaves, as well as those who assisted them, were documented between 1763 and 1865. McFarland & Company, Inc., p. 168. ISBN 978-0-7864-1829-9. Rice, Kym S., et al., eds., retrieved on April 30, 2012. (2011). 978-0-313-34944-7 (World of a Slave: A-I). ABC-CLIO, p. 390. ISBN 978-0-313-34944-7 (World of a Slave: A-I). Turner, Patricia A., et al., eds., retrieved 30 April 2012. (2009). The book Crafted Lives: Stories and Studies of African American Quilters by Shelley Zegart is available on Amazon (2008) Shelley Zegart debunks the myth of the African American Quilt Scholarship and the technique behind it. Pages 48–56 in Selvedge, (ISSN 1742-254X) Issue 21 (Jan/Feb 2008), published by the University of California Press.

Speaker describes quilt code used by slaves on undergound railroad

• While fighting for freedom, it was an ingenious method that was devised during a period of life and death conflict. It’s referred to as the quilt code. To prepare for and then travel via the Underground Railroad, which was formed around 30 years before the Civil War to assist enslaved persons in reaching regions where they could live as free men and women, slaves utilized the code to communicate with one another. Earlier this month, Brittney Westbrook, of the Evansville African-American Museum, lectured about the quilt code and the Underground Railroad at the Henderson County Public Library. According to her, “from the very beginning of American slavery, people struggled for their liberation through the Underground Railroad.” “The patchwork code was a subversive method that was used to communicate with individuals without actually saying anything to them,” says the author. Several historians think that African-American seamstresses were the ones who developed the quilt code since they were the ones who really did the sewing, according to Westbrook. Distinct quilting patterns represented different codes that escaped slaves were required to memorize in order to escape capture. Using the monkey wrench pattern as an example, Westbrook explained that it instructed slaves to “prepare the things they’d need along the road, including their mental and spiritual instruments.” It was a “hidden sign” scrawled on the ground, she explained, indicating that someone was safe to speak with and so the log cabin quilt pattern. In addition, the emblem warned people to seek refuge. According to Westbrook, the bowtie design indicated that slaves should disguise themselves or put on a change of clothes, while the flying geese pattern indicated a direction to follow, such as the direction in which the geese would fly. A sampler quilt with all of the distinct code patterns would be sewn by a (slave) plantation seamstress, according to Westbrook. “Slaves would stare at the sampler to learn the codes, which they would then repeat. The seamstress would next sew a big quilt for each of the code patterns she had created. The quilts were hung one at a time by the seamstress in order to emphasize the code patterns and their related meanings on the quilts. As a result, when slaves attempted to flee, they relied on their memories of the quilts to guide them safely across the wilderness.” “Historians believe that the monkey wrench design would have been the first full-size quilt that a seamstress would have hung up,” she explained. “This would signal to the slaves that they should gather their tools and prepare for the voyage ahead of them. Second, a wagon wheel quilt pattern would be used to instruct slaves to load the wagon or to make preparations to board the wagon in order to begin their emancipation.” and so forth. According to Westbrook, there is significant controversy about the legitimacy of the patchwork code in the United States. “Because there is no written proof to support the patchwork code,” she explained, “many people doubt its authenticity.” “We have an oral tradition foundation (for the quilt code), but we do not have a documented heritage since the underground railroad was intended to be subversive, and as a result, just a few things about it were recorded in writing.” She said that, like the patchwork code, most of what historians have put together about the Underground Railroad, its network of paths, and individuals who assisted fugitive slaves did not originate from written records or documentation. In addition to being a significant location for the Underground Railroad, Evansville was also a key location for the Underground Railroad, according to Westbrook, since enslaved individuals in Henderson could access to freedom by trekking the roughly 10 miles into Indiana. “In Henderson, there used to be a slave market,” she explained. According to Westbrook, many members of the African-American community chose Evansville as a home base to be close to family relatives who were still slaves in Henderson and Owensboro. In Evansville, there were four stations on the subterranean train system. Despite the fact that the slave market was a bustling site in Henderson, there were some Henderson locals who were opposed to it and slavery, according to her. “Farmers and church members were among the abolitionists who assisted slaves in their attempts to go north or deeper into the southern states. African-Americans were being transported via the Underground Railroad in Henderson and Evansville by ordinary people who were transporting them to freedom. Folks in Henderson and Evansville who were members of the Underground Railroad were simply ordinary people “” she explained. Some organizations supplied temporary lodging, while others donated food, clothing, and other goods to the homeless. Traveling the Underground Railroad, according to Westbrook, was extremely risky. Getting captured as a slave was extremely perilous, and it was also extremely harmful for anyone who assisted slaves in escaping. In the event that a runaway slave was apprehended, she stated that they would be “tortured.” It was possible that they would chop your ear entirely off
• They could take a chunk out of your ear
• Or they could cut off your foot, so there were genuine hazards in fleeing. She said that there was also a serious danger for anyone who assisted fugitive slaves. “Others in Gibson County, Indiana, have had their farms destroyed because they assisted people in escaping through the underground railroad, according to what we’ve learned. Two white men were hanged for their involvement in the Underground Railroad, which we are aware of as well.” The majority of Westbrook’s talk at the library, which included library staffer Nancy Voyles, contained knowledge that was fresh to those in attendance. “Ms. Westbrook is an excellent public speaker. A great deal about that period of history is familiar to her “Voyles made the statement. “Finding out the significance of the many quilt motifs was a great experience for me. Because even today, as you drive down the road, you’ll see the symbols painted on the sides of barns and other structures.” “There were a lot of things I didn’t know,” Voyles admitted of his research into the Underground Railroad and the Quilt Code. “My knowledge of the Underground Railroad was limited, but hearing her speak about the people who worked on it, the conductors who worked on it, and all the many roles that people had in it, I thought was quite intriguing. It helped me to expand my vocabulary.” “I believe the most surprising thing for folks is discovering information that they were previously unaware of,” Westbrook told The Gleaner in a subsequent interview. “Due to prejudice and segregation, much of African-American history has been suppressed, and some of it has been accidentally forgotten or forgotten entirely. However, African-American history is part of the larger American story.” “Education about African-American history in general, as well as assisting people in understanding the culture, are two of my favorite things to do. Once again, African-American history is part of the larger American story.” Those interested in learning more about the Underground Railroad are encouraged to visit the Evansville African American Museum, according to Westbrook. “It’s free and open to the public, and we encourage everyone to visit the museum.”

Underground Railroad Quilt

I recently discovered about the Underground Railroad Quilt, which is a fable or myth about how quilts were used to communicate with escaping slaves during the Underground Railroad era. Now, I’m not a quilter because I’m just too impatient. But I adore riddles and patterns, and I’m fascinated by how quilters transform bits of fabric into pieces of art using their imaginations, their hands, and their patience. In addition, quilts with hidden codes embroidered into them are quite interesting. Here’s a quick rundown of the past: Before the Civil War, the Underground Railroad was a network of liberated slaves and abolitionists who worked together to provide slaves with hidden passageways, safe houses, and food as they made their way north to free states and Canadian territory.

• The act of teaching slaves how to read or write was also prohibited by law, making communication difficult and perhaps dangerous.
• Stories and songs told around a campfire at night were coded messages intended to educate them the symbols they would encounter on the path ahead of them.
• American-Historama.org (Click on the image to be taken to the source) Monkey Wrench – Collect the items you’ll need to travel, create a shelter, and protect yourself in the wilderness.
• Crossroads– This symbol represented Cleveland, Ohio, a place where various paths lead to liberty.
• Change out of your slave garments and into your freedmen’s attire.
• North Star – Pay attention to the North Star.
• Is it true or false?

The achievements of the Underground Railroad are nothing short of astounding.

Their efforts were impeded by rules that made it unlawful to aid fugitive slaves in their pursuit of freedom.

They put their livelihoods and, in some cases, their lives at stake.

Slave yet free at the same time.

There are two classes of people: the rich and the poor.

They provided slaves with the TOOLS they need in order to live.

They offered SAFE HOUSES as well as SUPPORT during the journey.

Today, we are confronted with a different, but no less destructive, form of slavery.

Slavery is against the law.

It is remarkable to reflect on the progress made in the movement to eradicate human trafficking, protect the vulnerable, and provide support to victims and survivors since the historic passage of Proposition 35/CASE Act, which was proposed by California Against Slavery and the Safer California Foundation in 2012.

And, most recently, the state budget included a recurring $10 million allocation for human trafficking services and support programs.

Dedicated public servants and committed service providers are working together in counties, cities, and communities across our state to provide public awareness campaigns, housing, transitional living support, health services, counseling, education, and legal assistance, as well as to expand services to underserved populations.

• Let’s take a look back at the lessons learned in the past.
• Work in a collaborative environment.
• Follow in the footsteps of the survivors.
• Provide life skills and education to those who need it.
• Be fearless and forward-thinking.

and how to get in touch with them. This is a resource that is alive and breathing. We know that some of you may have been overlooked; thus, please submit your organizationshere. I’m honored to serve beside you. Ginger Shaw is a woman who works in the fashion industry.

Underground Railroad Quilt Codes: What We Know, What We Believe, and What Inspires Us

An embroidered quilt hanging from a clothesline or window sill, according to folklore, marked the location of a safe home along the Underground Railroad. These quilts were infused with a form of code, so that an enslaved person on the run could determine the immediate hazards in the region by reading the shapes and motifs woven into the pattern, as well as where to go next by reading the code. Dress in disguise in order to appear to be of better social position. Bear Paw = Follow an animal route into the mountains in search of water and food, which you will discover.

1. I can see the potential benefits of such a system.
2. I really want to think that took place.
3. Sharon Tindall is a quilter and instructor who lives in Virginia.
4. Johnson House, which was built in 1768 in the center of Germantown, has woodwork, flooring, and glass that are all original to the building.
5. “I took a tour around the area to see where people slept and ate.
6. The presence of the slaves, as well as the Johnson family who protected them, was represented by the hues in the quilt’s sky.
7. In Sharon Tindall’s “The Johnson House,” a cotton batik, Dupioni silk, tulle netting, and Swarovski crystals are used to create a 40 by 28-inch piece of art.

Tindall is a believer in and supporter of codes, despite the fact that not all of her quilts are coded.

Our dialogue dragged on for weeks as I pressed for more specific details about how they were being used.

Quilts were frequently produced to mark key family events like as marriage, a child’s birth, or the relocation of the family to a new location.

Toni Tindall’s narrative compositions are made up of a variety of fabrics, including cottons, raw Dupioni silk, Swarovski crystals, natural fibers, Mali mud cloth,and even glitter, to portray the spiritual and intangible elements of the story.

When she points to the blazing horizon line on herquilt, The Johnson House, she adds that the orange represents life or light.

In the years leading up to 1999, the codes were virtually unknown, even among members of the African American quilting community.

Hidden in Plain View: A Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad, written by Jaqueline Tobin and Raymond G.

In collaboration with National Geographic and the Kennedy Center, curriculum for primary schools were designed that included references to the codes.

When we read an inspirational article online that is posted in Times New Roman, we prefer to take it as fact without questioning it.

“Almost every February, pieces of African-American history emerge in newspapers across the country,” MacDowell adds, referring to Black History Month.

Perhaps the rules for experiencing belief vs experiencing reality are just different.

There are no dates, instances, or first-person testimonies.

Evidence is required before something may be considered a fact.

According to studies of quilts manufactured during these years, the proof for some of these designs simply does not exist, so shattering the grip of this enthralling story’s engaging narrative.

Sharon Tindall provided the photograph.

It is now safe to remove your chains and shackles because you have a double wedding ring.

I inquired of Tindall about the significance of the Flying Geese quilt pattern and how it aided runaways on the Underground Railroad.

“Follow the geese as they fly north.” Look for or listen for geese moving north in the spring if the skies aren’t clear.

It read more like a poem or a nursery rhyme to me.

They were meant to physically follow the geese, right?

Although you may or may not agree with Tindall’s interpretation, you could agree that her view gives artistic grounds for believing as opposed to actuality.

“If people’s lives are on the line, it only seems sense that there would be no race of the quilts,” explains quilt researcher Mary Twining-Baird, who resides in Atlanta.

” If anyone learned the truth, they may literally lose their lives.” She specializes in kente clothquilts manufactured on the Sea Island chain, which stretches from South Carolina to Georgia to Florida, but she takes a strong position against quilt codes.

“Of course it was an amap!” says the author.

After all this time, they have either vanished or been shattered to bits.

The artist has provided permission for the use of his photograph.

She is attempting to explain or offer supporting evidence for her believe in quiltcodes, which is analogous to someone attempting to explain or provide supporting evidence for their belief in God.

The following is what she sent to me: “I consider myself a believer in Jesus Christ as well as a lady of Faith, storyteller, and acreator of quilts.” “I’ve taken the things that God has given me and I’m giving them back to Him via the quilt codes,” says the author of the book.

If we sincerely believe something, as Tindall thinks that enslaved people going north were directed by the Flying Geese design in quilts, it is possible that we may have difficulty distinguishing between belief and truth.

So it is with the Kaluli people of Papua New Guinea, who believe that the souls of their ancestors take up residence in various animals, such as pigs and birds, after they die.

Stories, recipes, personal experiences, and everything else that was whispered to us when we were children frequently trump scientific reality.

A classic block design, the North Star, is combined with a Jacob’s Ladder block pattern to create this quilt by Sharon Tindall.

Sharon Tindall provided the photograph.

Is it possible that these quilts are causing harm to anyone?

“I’ve discovered that some individuals have a difficult time believing or thinking about things they cannot see or touch,” Tindall explains.

Detroit’s African American population expanded by more than 600 percent between 1910 and 1920, according to the United States Census Bureau.

They brought quilts and tales of the enslaved South with them wherever they traveled.

The interviews conducted by MacDowell’s team numbered around fifty.

“Follow the Drinking Gourd (Green),” by Sharon Tindall, 2019, green batik on printed cotton, 26.5 × 26.5″ Sharon Tindall provided the photograph.

Her grandmother also taught her this.

The problem with theHiddenin Plain Viewbook is that it leads the reader to believe that every African American quilter had their needle pointed north.

Was her being white a contributing factor to her not hearing the story?

She is very aware of how widespread the myth of patchwork codes has gone.

While conducting research on quilts in South Africa, she met a group of modern quilters who, “lo and behold!” had heard about the book and had begun coding quilts of their own.

“It’s a fact of life.” Perhaps the code, whether genuine or not, serves as a platform for African Americans to explore the pain they inherited—as well as the possibility of redemption.

They were braiding in the same code she was using, which she was surprised to find out.

Some African American women are already making coded quilts for their daughters and grandchildren, and this will continue to be the case in the future.

The genealogy of patchwork code-using artists is now well-established.

In her spare time, MarieClaire Bryant works as a poet, storyteller, and archivist at the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage in New York City.

She formerly worked as the director of publication for the Cfile Foundation, where she wrote, edited, and published significantly on the subject of modern and historic ceramic arts, among other things.

‘Underground Railroad’ quilt raises money for Historical Society

The women of the High Altitude Quilt Guild with their quilt depicting the Underground Railroad. Brandi Smith, Kathy Heicher, Luanne Mayne, Sheryl Larson, Cristi Musser, Marisa Sheehan, Janet Hester, Bettie Tymkovich, Emilie Trujillo, Lorie Everman, and Molly Churchill are pictured from left to right (standing): Kathy Heicher, Luanne Mayne, Sheryl Larson, Cristi Musser, Marisa Sheehan, Bettie Tymkovich, Emil Sarah Braucht and Joanne Cermak are shown in the foreground (knelling). Historical scholars are split on the topic of whether quilts were used to notify escaped slaves during the era of the Underground Railroad.

1. The pattern included in a quilt that is hanging on a clothesline or exhibited in a cabin window might provide coded directions to fleeing fugitives who are afraid of being caught.
2. A brightly colored “Bear’s Paw” block may represent an exhortation to follow an animal trail through the woods, according to the author.
3. The replica quilt is made out of classic fabrics sewn together into a variety of squares that include block patterns that were popular in the mid-1800s.
4. The Underground Quilt was taken on by the High Altitude Quilt Guild, which was made up of women.
5. The blanket was hand-quilted by Marisa Sheehan.
6. The act of quilting itself functions as a code of sorts.
7. Eagle’s Eagle County History Museum, located in Chambers Park in Eagle, is now hosting a display of the quilt.
8. Tickets are available at the museum, which is open from 10 a.m.
9. Thursday through Monday and costs $5 per ticket or $10 for three tickets.

The High Altitude Quilting Guild meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month at the Eagle Valley Rod and Gun Club in Gypsum at 6 p.m. The guild is open to anybody who enjoys quilting. Please see the club’s Facebook page for further information.

AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY AND THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD – Around The Frame

The Underground Railroad Quilt created by the ladies of the High Altitude Quilt Guild. Brandi Smith, Kathy Heicher, Luanne Mayne, Sheryl Larson, Cristi Musser, Marisa Sheehan, Janet Hester, Bettie Tymkovich, Emilie Trujillo, Lorie Everman, and Molly Churchill are pictured from left to right (standing): Kathy Heicher, Luanne Mayne, Sheryl Larson, Cristi Musser, Marisa Sheehan, Janet Hester, Bettie Ty Sally Braucht and Joanne Cermak are at the front (knelling). In a special report for the Daily, historians disagree on whether quilts were used to indicate escaped slaves during the era of the United States Underground Railroad.

If a quilt design is put on a clothesline or shown in a cabin window, it could be able to provide coded directions to fleeing fugitives who are afraid of being caught.

In the woods, a brightly colored “Bear’s Paw” block may represent an indication to follow an animal trail.

It is made of classic textiles sewn together into a variety of squares with block designs common in the mid-1800s, according to the manufacturer.

The Underground Quilt was tackled by the women of the High Altitude Quilt Guild.

The blanket was stitched by Marisa Sheehan by hand.

The act of quilting itself functions as a code.

Presently on exhibit at Eagle County History Museum, located at Chambers Park in Eagle, is this quilt.

Tickets are available at the museum, which is open from 10 a.m.

Thursday through Monday and costs $5 per ticket or $10 for three tickets for a discount.

High Altitude Quilting Guild meetings are held on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. at the Eagle Valley Rod and Gun Club in Gypsum, Colorado, for quilting and other activities in the mountains. Please see the club’s Facebook page for further information.’