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The
Underground Railroad Quilt Code
By Nicole Reeves
"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  .
Once they got to the crossroads, they dug a
log cabin
in the ground. Shoofly
told them to dress up in cotton and satin bow ties
 and go to the cathedral church, get married and exchange double wedding rings. Flying geese
stay on the drunkard’s path
 and follow the stars
 ."
These words might sound like pure gibberish, but they were thought to be part of a secret coding system used by African slaves to help them navigate through the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad was the name given to the route taken by slaves to escape to freedom in Northern cities. The above quote is the Underground Railroad Quilt Code as recited to Jacqueline Tobin, co-author of the book, Hidden in Plain View: A Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad. The accompanying pictures are quilt patterns that were used as part of the code. Upon hearing the story, Tobin contacted an African American quilter and art history professor, Raymond Dobard, Ph.D., for help in understanding the history of the quilt code, and to co-author the book. It was Mrs. Ozella McDaniel Williams, an African American quilter living in Charleston, South Carolina who recited the code to her.
The code was part of the oral history of Mrs. Williams’ family, having been passed to her by her mother, who received it from her mother. Because it was illegal to teach enslaved Blacks to read, write, or to gather in large groups without the presence of whites, they were forced to create ingenious ways to communicate to one another. Their communication may have seemed harmless to their slave owners. But beneath the surface, they were passing along information to help plan their escape.
Each symbol is a traditional quilt pattern that was to give a slave directions or information about the journey. Mrs. Williams said that there were 10 quilts that were part of the code. Each quilt was to contain one of the ten patterns and was placed on a fence one at a time. The first quilt displayed was the one containing the monkey wrench pattern.
Monkey Wrench
When this pattern was displayed, it signaled that they were to gather their tools for the oncoming journey.
Wagon Wheel
A quilt stitched with the wagon wheel pattern was the second quilt displayed, and its purpose was to tell them to gather items to prepare for traveling via wagon.
Bear’s Paw
Bears were known for their efficiency in finding water and food. The presence of the Bear’s Paw pattern reminds the slaves to literally follow bear prints to lead them to food and water.
Crossroads
Crossroads represents Cleveland, Ohio. Slaves would take roads here that would lead them to freedom in Ontario, Canada.
Log Cabin
Mrs. Williams thought that this meant that there was literally a log cabin once they got to Cleveland. Others believe that this quilt displayed at a house along the route would signal that this was a safe house.
Shoofly
This pattern was said to refer to an actual person who would aid in the escape.
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