Hidden in plain view
Subtitle: the secret story of quilts and the underground railroad
By: Jacqueline L. Tobin and Raymond G. Dobard.
Contributors: Dobard, Raymond G.
Edition: 1st ed.
Publisher: Doubleday
Published: 1999
Place of publication: New York, N.Y
Language: eng
Number of pages: 208
Subjects: Underground railroad; Fugitive slaves -- United States -- Communication -- History -- 19th century; African American quilts -- Social aspects -- History -- 19th century; Ciphers -- History -- 19th century
Description: In 1993, author Jacqueline Tobin visited the Old Market Building in the historic district of Charleston, South Carolina, where local craftspeople sell their wares. Amid piles of beautiful handmade quilts, Tobin met African American quilter Ozella Williams and the two struck up a conversation. With the admonition to "write this down," Williams began to tell a fascinating story that had been handed down from her mother and grandmother before her.

Now, based on Williams's story and their own research, Tobin and Dobard, in what they call "Ozella's Underground Railroad Quilt Code," offer proof that some slaves were involved in a sophisticated network that melded African textile traditions with American quilt practices and created a potent result: African American quilts with patterns that conveyed messages that were, in fact, essential tools for escape along the Underground Railroad.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [193]-208).