Freedom Quilts

Introduction

Imagine you were placed in forced employment and you desperately wanted to escape. You could neither read nor write and you had very little money. What would you have done to get from Charleston, South Carolina to Dresden, Ontario – a distance of some thousand miles – if your employer didn’t want you to leave?

They came from the coastal areas of Africa. They could navigate, sail and fish. Some were hunters and lived and survived on the land. They had religious traditions and their strength of family and tribe provided the cohesiveness so vital for survival. They belonged to secret organizations and would communicate in secret through dance, music, drums, signs, colours and art objects. All could convey messages.

The Underground Railroad

The Underground Railroad was neither underground nor a railroad but rather a secret network of safe houses and anti-slavery activists – black, white and Native American – who helped slaves, escape to freedom. Every home that welcomed runaways and every individual who offered food, clothing or other assistance could be considered a part of the railroad. Though never formally organized, tens of thousands of slaves, aided by more than 3,200 railroad `workers` to the northern states, Canada, Texas, Mexico and, through Florida, to the Caribbean. The activity of the underground railroad reached a peak from 1830 to 1860 though it was operating as early as the 1500`s when the first African captives were brought from the Spanish colonies to the new world. Much of the railroad`s history was passed down orally. Not only were many of the slaves who made the trek illiterate, but those who aided them either didn`t write about it or destroyed their records because they feared detection.

During these times of servitude, many of these runaway slaves had been forced to labour as field hands and endured harsh treatment from their owners. They longed to escape the gruelling hours of field work, the lack of proper diet and the fear of beatings and of being sold away from loved ones. Although these inhumane conditions inspired some to flee, the desire for personal liberty was the greatest motivator.

The term Underground Railroad may have originated when a slave, Tice Davids, fled from Kentucky and took up residence with John Rankin, a white abolitionist in Ripley, Ohio. Davids’ owner chased him across the Ohio River but Davids managed to disappear without a trace. His owner was left bewildered and wondered if the slave had “gone off on some underground road.”

I’ve known rivers:

I’ve known rivers ancient as the world and older than the

flow of human blood in human veins.

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young.

I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep.

I looked upon the Nile and built the pyramids above it.

I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln went down to New Orleans, and I’ve seen its muddy bosom turn all golden in the sunset.

I’ve known rivers:

Ancient, dusky rivers.

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

“The Negro Speaks of Rivers”
Langston Hughes

The Escape

Most runaways were men aged 16 to 35 years. Women and children escaped but were more likely to be recaptured. They seldom devised any elaborate escape plan since flight occurred randomly. Their schemes sometimes called for escape to take place weekends, holidays or during harvest season. Plans of this sort gave the runaway at least a two day start before authorities began their pursuit.

How did they draw upon their cultures and skills to plan and execute an escape? Some of their spiritual songs such as “Swing Low Sweet Chariot”, “Steal Away to Jesus” and “Go Down Moses” carried coded messages related to escape. “O Canaan, sweet Canaan, I am bound for the land of Canaan” was a reference to Canada, the land of freedom at the end of the escape route. Some slaves were blacksmiths and they would hammer out messages on their anvils. Dancing, specifically tap dancing, was another method of beating out a message.

They used the North Star to guide them at night. Aided by their knowledge of nature, they followed tracks and geese flying north in the spring. They relied on “railways” such as back roads, waterways, mountains, swamps, forests and fields to escape. Later runaways travelled by wagon, steamship, boat and railroad train. They were not always alone on their journey. They would be met at certain places. Flight entailed clever disguises which gave further protection to the runaway. For example, females dressed as males and males as females. Fair-skinned African Americans passed as whites such as Ellen Craft of Georgia who pretended to be the master and her husband the slave.

One of the most famous slaves to escape and who helped countless others to freedom was Harriet Tubman. She made fifteen trips across the border from Canada to America to help fellow slaves to freedom. She was a quilter who engaged in patching small bits of fabric together to make quilts for the fugitives in Canada. She did this whilst hiding in the woods, waiting for the fall of night to continue her mission northwards.

Having given you some background on the Underground Railway we want to focus on the main visual means used to tell the slaves where to go, when and who would help them. All this had to be kept secret. Quilts could do all this!

We will now show you the Quilts secret messages on Public display:  

It was common for quilts to be frequently aired out on fences, clotheslines, or bushes.  The slave masters or overseers were not suspicious when they saw these quilts airing in plain view.  They didn’t know about the Secret Quilt Code.

Before trying to escape slaves would see these quilts displayed and knew where, when and how to leave.  They also indicated landmarks to look for and what instructions to follow when they reached Canada.

 

For Africans the colors used in many of the patterns had special meanings.  The things represented were the heavens, their ancestors, the spirits, the land they came from and sometimes secret societies depending on the tribe.

First one is Monkey Wrench:
This was a signal to gather up all tools required for the fleeing slave’s journey, meaning the physical tools as well as the spiritual ones.

#2 is the Wagon Wheel (symbol of freedom)
Wagon Wheel/Carpenter's Wheel: A signal to the slave to pack the items needed to travel by wagon or that could be used while travelling. It could also mean to pack the provisions necessary for survival, as if packing a wagon for a long journey, or to actually load the wagon in preparation for escape. Some records indicate this symbol meant a wagon with hidden compartments in which slaves could conceal themselves, would soon be embarking for the trip to freedom.

#3 is The Drunkard’s Path
This was a warning signal to take a zigzag route to elude pursuing slave hunters and their hounds that are in the area. A slave spotted travelling south, for instance, would not be suspected of escaping. Often they would wade through streams. They would sing and hum spiritual songs such as Wade in the water which was also a code message to others.

 

#4 is the Flying Geese:
This was a signal to follow the direction of the flying geese as they migrated north in the spring. Most slaves escaped during the spring; along the way, the flying geese could be used as a guide to find water, food and places to rest. The quilt maker had flexibility with this pattern as it could be used in any quilt. It could also be used as a compass where several patterns are used together.

 

#5 is the North Star:
This was a signal with two messages--one to prepare to escape and the other to follow the North Star to freedom in Canada. North was the direction of traffic on the Underground Railroad. This signal was often used in conjunction with the song, “Follow the Drinking Gourd”, which contains a reference to the Big Dipper constellation. Two of the Big Dipper’s points lead to the North Star.

#6 is the Bear’s Paw:
The Appalachian Mountains were natural barriers separating the Southern slave states from the Northern Free States.  Although, most Africans were unfamiliar with bears, they were told that following bear tracks would lead them through the mountains to food and water and finally to safety.

 

#7 is the Crossroads:
This was symbol referring to Cleveland, Ohio, which was the main crossroads with several routes to freedom. On a less literal level, the term “crossroads” also means reaching a turning point in one’s life, where a choice must be made and then carry on.

 

#8 is the Log Cabin:
A symbol in a quilt or that could be drawn on the ground indicating it was necessary to seek shelter or that a person is safe to speak with. Some sources say it indicated a safe house along the Underground Railroad.

 

#9 is called Shoofly:
This was named for a person who provided escaping slaves with clothing, enabling them to appear like free slaves when they reached the Northern states.  In Africa the Shoofly is the symbol for tailoring, weaving the making of textiles and clothing.

 

#10 is called Bow ties:
This is a symbol indicating it was necessary to travel in disguise or to change from the clothing of a slave to those of a person of higher status.

 

#11 is called Tumbling Blocks:
A symbol indicating it was time for slaves to pack up and go… that a conductor was in the area.

 

#12 the final code is called Dresden Plate:
It refers to the town of Dresden Ontario near Windsor.  The passing of anti-slavery legislation in 1793 made Canada a safe haven for slaves seeking freedom.  They were told to look out for a church with Dresden Plate windows similar to the Dresden Plate quilt pattern.

 

Alexander Ross created codes to help fugitive slaves.  For example:

A message might read:
Expect two packages of hardware and three packages of day goods.  We hope to send them by Sunrise so they might arrive at midnight.  Glory to God and open before dawn.

 
Out of the huts of history’s shame
I rise
Up from the past that’s rooted in pain
I rise
I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave
I am the dream and hope of the slave
I rise
I rise
I rise

From “Still I Rise”
Maya Angelou

As part of our exercise in learning about the slaves’ escape to freedom and especially the way they used their talents to help them, the kids in the Sunday School have created their own plan for a quilt. It is a much more modern design that we call our St. James Quilt Map. As you look at it I think you will be able to see that it is designed to lead you from anywhere in the area home to St. James.

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