Deep and rich, the voice of Clarice Boswell echoed an old African-American spiritual: "Oh, freedom, oh freedom!"
Thus began Boswell's Black History Month presentation,"Pre-Civil War Quilts and the Underground Railroad," based on her book, "Lizzie's Story, A Slave Family's Journey to Freedom," last Wednesday.
Boswell, a member of the fifth generation of a once-enslaved African-American family, asked the audience to join her on a journey in American history as she shared her family's struggle to escape slavery and reach freedom in the North.
The focus of her presentation was the little known items that helped many slaves along the way: homemade quilts that contained codes.
In 1850, Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Act, which mandated the return of runaway slaves, regardless of where in the Union they might be situated at the time oftheir discovery or capture.
Anyone aiding a runaway slave by providing shelter, food or any other form of assistance was liable to face six months' imprisonment and a $1,000 fine.The Liberty Trail, composed of homes of sanctuary, had vanished.
The brave who continued to help, however, did so in an effort that would later become known as the Underground Railroad.
Quilters adapted abolitionists' secret codes, such as special handshakes and symbols as patterns on their quilts.
"The shepherds were the abolitionists," Dr. Boswell said. "The lambs were the slaves.Abolitionists were the ones who made the journey successful."
Homes in the South would hang the encoded quilts on clotheslines and in their windows to communicate with runaway slaves.
If a monkey wrench was present on a quilt, it meant slaves would be able to gather tools they might need, or obtain compasses or weapons. The pattern of the flying geese told slaves to follow the migrating geese north toward Canada. It was used for directions as well as describing the best season for slaves to escape.
From their steeples, Catholic churches hung quilts with the slave chain design, later renamed the wedding ring design by Dutch women in Pennsylvania. The quilt was hung when the bells rung at noon and indicated it was a safe place for the slaves to stay.
Colors on quilts were also significant. If a log cabin had a black center, it meant the home was available and safe. Yellow meant to be cautious when stopping; red indicated it was not safe at all.
Susan B. Anthony is known to have used quilts strategically. If a quilt hung in her window, it meant it was safe to stay there. If there was not a quilt, then her father, who opposed abolition, was home.
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