How was the quilt use in the underground railroad?

Question

How was the quilt use in the underground railroad?

Answer 1

The Underground Railroad, as you're probably are, was an escape route for Southern slaves prior to the Civil War.  Escaping Blacks moved from house to house, usually at night, working their way to the free Northern states.

Southern blacks, to aid their escaping brethren slaves, would hang quilts outside of their houses, which indicated the way to the next house on the escape route, or other messages.  The whites didn't know about the quilts, so they could be hung without any danger to the slave population.

Here's a link to a website that explains about the quilts:

http://educ.queensu.ca/~fmc/may2004/Unde...