Not meaning to discount an expert lecturer or anything, but regarding the monkey wrench patch, it basically meant to get together those things you would need because the time to escape was coming and you needed to get your 'tools' together, not a monkey wrench, per se but food, a compass if you owned one, etc. I believe it was in Tobin and Dobard's book "Hidden in Plain View" which I purchased when on a trip to the Civil War Museum in Harriisburg through which the UGRR 'ran'. It seems that no matter how a story is told, or when, it invariably gets things added to it but this book did not include Sunbonnet Sue because the authors stuck strictly with the information from an African-American lady they met in SC whose parents escaped slavery perhaps using the North Star (needing a clear night to do this, remember you could get very close to a house because there were no porch lights :) or went toward Dresden OH, (dresden plate)
It is fascinating to think of this period in our history. I lived in a house in Shippensburg PA which had hidden slaves on their way north. Interesting discussion. Keep Qulting!!
Originally Posted by quiltmom04
Originally Posted by ncsewer
A couple of years ago I got a book that gives the history of the underground railroad and there is a quilt that goes with it. Certain blocks meant certain things so people that supported the underground would hang particular quilts to communicate with those that were fleeing.
The colors are all browns and tans and that's not my style, but I'm intregued by the story and just love reading the book. Has anyone made one of these quilts and what else do you know about the quilts and the story? Is this a true story or something that's been embellished over time? Does anyone have a quilt that is said to have been used for this and want to share the story?
I think the underground railroad quilts have emerged as a great marketing and educational tool for the civil war time period. But I have read many things, and we had an expert lecture at our guild that really discounts the quilts as an urban myth. As some have said, many blocks were not created till many years later. There are some basic things that just don't make sense. Did slaves really need a block to tell them to follow the north star?
Slaves needed travel in complete darkness. Is is really reasonable to expect them to come so close to a house that they could clearly see a quilt? Why would a block need to tell them to take a monkey wrench - they had to travel lightly and not drag tools around. But it is a great story, and brings to light the plight of escaping slaves.