Quilt Trivia...

[St. George]

Once more proving that looking for one thing often leads to exploring another - I ran across this title that describes those quilts made to assist with those travelling the Underground Railroad.

Some of you may find it of interest.

'Hidden In Plain View' - The Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad
Jacqueline Tobin and Raymond Dobard, Ph.D.

"There are five square knots on the quilt every two inches apart. They escaped on the fifth knot on the tenth pattern and went to Ontario, Canada. The monkey wrench turns the wagon wheel toward Canada on a bear's paw trail to the crossroads..."

And so begins the fascinating story that was passed down from generation to generation in the family of Ozella McDaniel Williams.
But what appears to be a simple story that was handed down from grandmother to mother to daughter is actually much, much more than that.
In fact, it is a coded message steeped in African textile traditions that provides a link between slave-made quilts and the Underground Railroad.

Scouts Out!

[Steel Horse Bailey]

VERY interesting!

[Camille Eonich]

Very, very interesting.  I found this on Google that expounds on the "code of the quilts" a bit more.

http://educ.queensu.ca/~fmc/may2004/Underground.html

[Delmonico]

Very interesting, I've seen bits and pieces of this through the years.