“There is lore the quilts were used as signals and wayfinders for those escaping toward freedom.”
Sara Magnuson is the Outreach and Program Specialist at Kent District Libraries. She explains that while historians debate the role of quilts as a communication tool, quilts are definitely a story-telling tool used by presenter Erica Millbrooks to share the stories of the people, places and secret codes used to help slaves escape along the Underground Railroad.
“If she shows a wagon wheel as a quilt pattern she connects that to a story of a free man who was able to purchase wagons and continue to help people move north.”
In addition to the programs scheduled at various locations, residents can travel through 15 library branches using a bookmark to track their journeys.
“They can find a unique quilt pattern at each branch and write down the name of the pattern and its connection to history.”
The “Stories of the Underground Railroad Told through Quilting” programs run through February and March. Check the KDL website for times and dates.
