Publisher's Synopsis
The Underground Railroad story is one of the most dramatic chapters in America's history. It's a story about how countless slaves made their way out of bondage, risking death for freedom. Runaways met up with a 'conductor' in the dark who whispered "follow me". They were guided on an arduous 250 mile journey from the South, intertwined throughout the North, and eventually ended in Canada. The most intriguing feature was its lack of formal organisation. Accounts are scarce because of the movement's secrecy. Ozella McDaniel Williams recently shared oral history of the Underground Railroad, past down through her family for the last hundred and fifty years. Could her recount possibly be true? Were slaves really taught how to achieve safe passage just by following messages in certain quilt patterns? This book features fifteen traditional quilt blocks believed to have had secret meanings to escaping slaves.