The Underground Railroad & the Legacy of Quilt Codes | B&O Railroad Museum

The Underground Railroad & the Legacy of Quilt Codes

The Underground Railroad was an informal yet increasingly organized network of routes and safehouses coordinated primarily by enslaved people themselves and free African Americans, with assistance from white abolitionists who helped individuals escape enslavement in the slave-holding South. While efforts to flee bondage existed since the earliest days of slavery, by the mid-19th century, especially after the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, this network evolved into a more structured system dedicated to helping individuals pursue self-emancipation. 

It was also during this period a new technology emerged that quickly revolutionized transportation and communication- the railroad. The Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Railroad, the first commercial railroad in the United States, was chartered in Baltimore in 1827. The B&O Railroad started in Maryland, between the American North and South, providing a vital link between Washington, DC, and Baltimore, two critical cities to the Underground Railroad route to Pennsylvania—a key destination where slavery was outlawed in the North. Any freedom seeker that took a train on that route would have journeyed through what is today the B&O Railroad Museum campus. 

 Seeking freedom through the Underground Railroad was an extraordinarily perilous and demanding endeavor. Freedom Seekers were forced to travel primarily under the cover of night, navigating unfamiliar landscapes without reliable maps or guidance. At every stage of the journey, they faced the constant threat of detection by professional slave catchers and informants who were empowered by restrictive laws and motivated by financial incentives. Those who helped Freedom Seekers also assumed significant personal risk, including fines, imprisonment, and violent reprisal. To avoid suspicion, Underground Railroad organizers and Freedom Seekers alike created their own secret code. As rail travel became embedded in American life, the Underground Railroad network easily appropriated the vocabulary of the railroad to speak in coded language- right in plain sight. Words like station, conductor, and cargo held a double meaning. This was a critical tool for Freedom Seekers and abolitionists to coordinate and guide those on journeys across the country. By adopting railway terms, people could talk openly about their efforts without alerting slaveholders or authorities. 

The Underground Railroad Quilt Code Patterns

Quilt Pattern NameMessage, Code or SignalCitation
from Hidden in Plain View 
Monkey WrenchPrepare the tools you’ll need for the long journey to freedom, including the mental and spiritual tools. It also signifies the pilot (of a ship’s wheel) is prepared to begin the transport. p. 70

Wagon Wheel		Load the wagon or prepare to board the wagon to begin the escape. p. 70

Bear’s Paw		Take a mountain trail, out of view. Follow the path made by bear tracks; they can lead you to water and food. p. 84
CrossroadsRefers to Cleveland, Ohio, a destination offering several routes to freedom. It also signifies reaching a point where a person’s life will change, so one must be willing to go on.p. 97

Log Cabin		A secret symbol that could be drawn on the ground indicating that a person is safe to talk to. It also advises seeking shelter.p. 104
ShooflyPossibly identifies a friendly guide who is nearby and can help.p. 104
BowtieDress in a disguise, or put on a change of clothes. Make the best use of time (bow ties turned sideways look like an hourglass).p. 107

Flying Geese		Points to a direction to follow, such as where geese would fly during spring migration.p. 111
Drunkard’s PathCreate a zig-zag path, do not walk in a straight line, to avoid pursuers in this area.p. 113 

Star		Follow the North Star. Worked in conjunction with the popular song, “Follow the Drinking Gourd,” a reference to the Big Dipper constellation.p. 114 

According to oral tradition, another type of coded language came in the form of stitches and symbols. “Quilt codes” refers to the belief that certain quilt patterns were used by enslaved African Americans as covert signals to guide people seeking freedom along the Underground Railroad. By reading the shapes and motifs sewn into the design, an enslaved person on the run could know the area’s immediate dangers or where to head next. This code was evidently a mnemonic device, used to help freedom seekers memorize directions and activities they may have needed for escape. While there were ten different quilts used to guide enslaved people to safety in free territory, one was employed at a time. In order to memorize the code, sampler quilts would be constructed with one pattern next to the other. When the time came, the first of the ten quilts would be laid out either in the window or on a clothesline. Blocks like the Log Cabin, North Star, Flying Geese, Monkey Wrench, Bow Tie, Bear’s Paw, Crossroads, and Wagon Wheel are said to have carried specific meanings- ranging from instructions to gather supplies or change clothing, to cues about following animal trails, heading toward major junctions, or navigating northward. Each quilt served as a silent signal in a larger sequence, guiding freedom seekers from one stage of preparation to the next. 

The idea of “quilt codes” on the Underground Railroad has become a powerful part of African American cultural memory. However, historians emphasize that the story is more complex. Historically, the craft of quilting was mainly a domestic task performed by women. Enslaved women were often tasked with sewing for plantation households, but they also quilted for their own families. Quilting would become a social activity that brought women together- enslaved women would at times quilt together in groups, passing down skills, patterns, and stories across generations, which helped maintain family and community bonds even when biological families were threatened by sale and separation. These quilts served as a creative outlet for the women to assert their identity and legacy during a time when reading and writing was illegal for those enslaved. In this way, quilting became far more than a domestic task- it was a means of preserving identity, strengthening community bonds, and asserting a measure of agency within the confines of enslavement. 

The central role quilting played in enslaved women’s lives continues to influence how quilts are understood today, inspiring both historical research and the enduring folklore surrounding quilt codes. While the idea of quilt codes has become a meaningful part of cultural memory, historians have found no documented evidence from the 19th century confirming that quilts were used as coded communication on the Underground Railroad. Primary sources such as slave narratives, journals, or abolitionist writings, never mention these codes, even though many of these documents describe escape strategies in great detail. Many historians argue that the concept emerged much later through oral stories rather than documented practice, making it difficult to verify. Historians also point out that the logistical demands of using quilts as coded, publicly displayed signs, which could have been impractical and dangerous. For these reasons, scholars typically view quilt codes as a narrative that, while deeply valued by some, has not yet been supported by historical evidence and is therefore regarded as an unverified tradition rather than confirmed fact. 

Even so, discussing the history and folklore surrounding quilt codes on the Underground Railroad encourages critical thinking about how histories are created, preserved, and sometimes mythologized- an important skill when interpreting the past. By examining quilt codes as a cultural narrative rather than a proven historical practice, educators and museums can honor the significance of quilting in African American life while also teaching visitors how to evaluate sources, respect oral traditions, and understand why some communities remember the past in symbolic or metaphorical ways. Following Emancipation in 1865, quilting circles became important places for women to build community, raise funds for churches and schools, and preserve cultural memory. In the 20th century, African American quilting gained national recognition through celebrated traditions like the quilts of Gee’s Bend, Alabama- renowned for their abstract, modernist aesthetics rooted in ancestral practice. Quilts have continued to serve as vehicles for remembrance, resistance, and creativity, documenting everything from migration stories to civil rights struggles. Today, African American quilting remains a vibrant art form, bridging heritage and contemporary expression while honoring the endurance, skill, and artistry of generations of black makers. 

Bibliography

Books:

  • Fry, Gladys-Marie. Stitched from the Soul: Slave Quilts from the Ante-Bellum South. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2001. 
  • Tobin, Jacqueline L., and Raymond G. Dobard. Hidden in Plain View: A Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad. New York: Doubleday, 1999. 
  • Wahlman, Maude Southwell. Signs and Symbols: African Images in African-American Quilts. New York: Studio Books, 1993. 

Journals: 

  • Cash, Floris Barnett. “Kinship & Quilting: An Examination of an African-American Tradition.” The Journal of African American History 80, no. 1 (1995): 30–41. 

Articles: 

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