The underground railroad was an escape route for slaves from the American plantations of the south to the safety of the north. It is described as a railroad but it was actually a zig zag walking route to freedom.
This was a treacherous journey and those brave enough to do it needed all the help they could get. That help came in many different forms from the Quakers, Freed slaves and in the form of maps. It goes without saying that making these maps to easily deciphered was massively dangerous, bounty hunters were never far away. The maps were in the form of quilts with illustrated landmarks that the women would hang outside to give clues to which was the best and safest route to the north.
I have done allot of research online but I cant find any original examples of the quilts however I found lot of examples of reproduction quilts.
Its a small part of a huge operation but one that was vital in passing on information.
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