Bobbielinks

It certainly makes for good reading.

ghostrider

I think Underground Railroad Quilts and Amish Humility Blocks are the two most entrenched myths in the quilting world. No factual basis to either one, but people sure do want to believe them.

Teeler

Here's some interesting reading on the subject. My personal belief is that someone somewhere ran with the "quilts were hung outside safe houses" and created their own (very successful and lucrative) version of "history." There's also some program running somewhere (I didn't copy the link) that is debunking the myth with historical evidence.

http://www.ugrrquilt.hartcottagequilts.com/

alisonquilts

What are Amish humility blocks? (Sounds like a psychological conditioning technique... *chuckle*)

Alison

ptquilts

From what I have heard about the Underground RR, escaping slaves were transported by whites, like in the back of a wagon, at night. I never heard about them wandering around looking for quilts on a line.

I don't mind people telling stories, but when they present them as history it bothers me.

feline fanatic

The legend is that the Amish say only God is perfect so they purposely put a mistake in a quilt somewhere to show humility. It is not true but as GR said it perpetuates. Go to Amish country and look at amish made quilts. Quite the opposite they take great care to not make mistakes in their quilts. In that respect they are like the Shakers whose motto was to create your craft as though you were creating it for the Almighty himself. Make it as though you were going to die tomorrow and as though you were going to live forever.

Peckish

I quite agree. One of the things I've always wondered about was how certain quilt patterns were chosen to represent the UR, how this information was disseminated, and (assuming for a minute that there is an element of truth to this story) what happened if an unaware and unwilling quilter happened to hang out a signal quilt.

Nammie to 7

Maybe those who were running figured that anyone who was a quilter had a kind heart and would help them in their time of need.

Holice

The following is interesting reading
http://historiccamdencounty.com/ccnews11.shtml

I would be upset if the schools taught myth as hstory.

I once visited the Underground RR Quilt Museum in Atlanta and saw the sampler quilt the grand daughter of the original story teller showed and lectured about. It was especially interesting that two blocks that were not "invented" until the 1930's were part of the quilt especially Sun Bonnet Sue.

coopah

This also reminds me of the stories about the "signs" hoboes (during the Great Depression) were supposed to paint/draw on fences so others would know that they could get a meal at certain homes.