Master quilter Connie Barr, Morrison, IL, entertained guests and members of Morrison Historical Society on Sunday, January 19, 2014, during the organization’s Annual Meeting. Several of Barr’s fabric works were visible in Morrison United Methodist Church’s Heritage Hall, 200 W. Lincolnway, Morrison. Member Karen Zuidema had decorated tables for the 1:00 p.m. potluck meal using her miniature quilts.
Pieced quilt tops, like the basket quilt design Barr holds above, await the addition of batting, backing fabric, and quilting stitches to hold each layer together.
“Underground Railroad Quilts” focused on symbolic patterns used during the slave era. A lone, inocuous design on a quilt–hung over the wash line or a porch rail–might carry a powerful clue for slaves planning an escape or on the run. For example, patterns gave directions, illustrated necessary items to take on the journey out of the South, or sugggested appropriate timing of a departure. Barr fabricated a “sampler” quilt using 15 such blocks, to dislay a chronological listing of clues. She chose Civil War Era reproduction fabrics to add authenticity.
Her interest in underground railroad quilt iconography was piqued by lecturer Dr. Clarice Boswell, during a presentation in Galena, IL. The speaker’s grandmother had been sold with her family into slavery; she had shared stories of her escape to Canada with Dr. Boswell. The latter published them in Lizzie’s Story: A Slave Family’s Journey to Freedom.
From left-to-right and top-to-bottom distinctive patterns of Barr’s quilt serve as an itinerary to freedom.
- Jacob’s Ladder: It meant the Underground Railroad or passage to freedom.
- Monkey Wrench: This railroad tool stood for the “Conductor” who led slaves. It also meant to gather needed tools and weapons before escape.
- Wagon Wheel: It is a symbol of life’s circles of birth, life, death, and rebirth; “God is always present.” I could mean to pack items for the upcoming wagon trip.
- Carpenter’s Wheel: This encouraged slaves to steel away with faith to the North and Northwest Territories.
- Bear’s Paw: In the spring, slave “Passengers” could follow the bear’s footprints to food and water in the mountains.
- Basket: This meant to gather needed provisions for the escape. Some people who hid slaves in their home “Stations” carried food to them disguised in laundry and sewing baskets.
- Crossroads: After leaving the Appalachian Mountains, this design told slaves to “travel to the crossroads,” large cities of either Cleveland, OH, or Detroit, MI. It was there they would cross Lake Erie into Canada. The main road in Cleveland was called Hope, and in Detroit it was called Midnight. As a secret coded expression, male escapees were termed hardware; females were called dry goods.
- Log Cabin: It indicated where safehouses were. The unique black center square signified an Underground Railroad “Station” for food and safety. In the Free States, this motif instructed slaves to build a cabin to survive the winter and establish residency.
- Shoo-Fly: The term may have been a person who aided slaves or referred to the clothes free slaves wore.
- Bow Tie: In the North, White and free Black men wore bow ties. Runaways were given clothing to reflect non-slave status, so they could safely walk to the ships that carried them to freedom. This block meant “You are among friends.”
- Flying Geese: The colored triangles could show the direction to follow. Geese were to be followed as they returned to the North in the spring.
- Birds in the Air: The light background–not colored triangles–indicated the direction to travel, and the block was always hung to orient runaways to the correct travel route.
- Drunkard’s Path: It advised escapees to travel in a variable path avoiding roads and using waterways.
- Sail Boat: This stood for safe passage to freedom across Lake Erie into Canada. Free Black ship owners helped.
- North Star: The North Star was used as a direction finder for night travel by slaves and shp owners. It was the guiding light.
The back of Barr’s sampler has 15 miniature versions of the blocks with titles of each design. The entire piece was a brilliant visual aid to illustrate enormous adversity overcome by an estimated 100,000 souls who refused to endure their cruel life of bondage.
