It is widely believed that secret messages in the form of quilt patterns aided slaves escaping the bonds of captivity in the southern states before and during the American Civil War.
The quilt patterns relayed messages to slaves preparing to escape. Each pattern represented a different meaning. Some of the most common were “Monkey Wrench”, “Star”, “Crossroads”, and “Wagon Wheel”. Quilts slung over a fence or windowsill, seemingly to air, passed on the necessary information to knowing slaves. As quilts hung out to air was a common sight on a plantation, neither the plantation owner nor the overseer would notice anything suspicious. It was all part of a day’s work for the slaves.
Codes and their meanings represented on the Fredonia collection include:
“Monkey Wrench” – a signal to gather all the tools required for the fleeing slave’s journey.
“North Star” – North was the direction of traffic on the Underground Railroad. This signal was used to show the direction of the Big Dipper constellation.
“Crossroads” – a symbol referring to Cleveland, Ohio, which was the main crossroads with several routes to freedom.
“Wagon Wheel” – a signal to the slave to pack the items needed to travel by wagon.
“Tumbling Blocks” – a symbol indicating it was time for slaves to pack up and go, that a conductor was in the area.
“Drunkard’s Path” - a warning signal to take a zigzag route to elude pursuing slave hunters and their hounds.
“Britches” – a symbol indicating the escaping slave needed to dress as a free person.
“Bow Tie” – 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.
“Flying Geese” – it was used as a guide to find water, food and places to rest.
“Bear’s Paw” – follow a mountain trail, out of view, and then follow an actual bear’s trail which would lead to water and food.
“Broken Dishes” – a symbol referring to a signal that involved broken crockery at some future landmark.
“Sailboat” – a signal that either a body of water was nearby or that boats were available.