More than beautiful blankets

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Dr. Clarice C. Boswell stands beside Pre-Civil War Quilts with hidden codes to help slaves through the Underground Railroad.

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Colorful quilts that were handsewn by slave women in the Deep South prior to the Civil War were meant to be more than just beautiful blankets.

These special quilts carried secret messages to help slave families move safely north on their journey to freedom.

The Underground Railroad was not a train, but rather a series of homes that offered safe accommodations to fleeing slaves. Dr. Clarice Boswell, a retired teacher and administrator from Joliet Township High School and the University of St. Francis in Joliet, will gave a presentation Monday, Sept. 21, at First United Methodist Church in Morris. Her talk is entitled, “Pre-Civil War Quilts: Their Hidden Codes to Freedom of Slaves” through the Underground Railroad.

Abolitionists, who came from the north, moved from plantation to plantation, posing as tax collectors or peddlers. They brought information about the Underground Railroad and initiated the movement of slaves to the north.

Information from the abolitionists was sewn in coded pictures on quilt blocks. The codes displayed secret messages that enabled the fugitive slaves to follow a safe route. For example, the quilt would have a picture of a white house  with green shutters. The slaves would know that the house was being watched and would not stop there. A picture of a wagon wheel meant that they would travel by wagon.
Slave women stitched the quilts late at night during the winter, in preparation for the journey to the north in the summer. Before they set out to travel, the slaves studied the quilts carefully. The quilts were their secret road maps to safety.

Replicas and some of the actual Pre-Civil War quilts made and used by slaves were on display during Boswell’s presentation. Some of them are heirlooms passed down through the generations in her family.
Boswell documented the origin, struggle and journey of her family in her book, “Lizzie’s Story: A Slave Family’s Journey to Freedom.” She used an 1876 family bible that contained records of births, deaths and marriages as far back as 1850; and her family photo albums carry pictures dating back to 1854. Lizzie was Boswell’s grandmother.

The purpose of her presentation was to illustrate the stories surrounding the secret messages in the quilts that are rich in historic American culture. The program aimed to provide participants an understanding of the codes, as well as the history surrounding the movement of slaves to freedom.
The presentation was hosted by the United Methodist Women. The public is invited.

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