tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281798505305352117.post2121217995908686328..comments2024-03-28T22:11:05.593-05:00Comments on Civil War Quilts: Another Underground Railroad TaleUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281798505305352117.post-75744305518121218192019-01-02T09:52:15.821-06:002019-01-02T09:52:15.821-06:00A few years ago we had a speaker come to our small...A few years ago we had a speaker come to our small local Historical Society and talk about Underground Railroad Quilts. She mostly had the story and quilt book as her research. When she did mention that the truth of the source family's story had been questioned, the African Americans in the room became angry and upset. One woman, a teacher who had included the Underground Railroad quilts as part of her classroom teaching, asserted that questioning the Underground Railroad Quilt stories was just another attempt by white people to suppress black history. Discussion became quite heated. It was a disaster.Jean Bellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01495393121221507501noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281798505305352117.post-5066323641067606822019-01-01T20:00:22.522-06:002019-01-01T20:00:22.522-06:00Amen, Barbara! I get asked about the "Undergr...Amen, Barbara! I get asked about the "Underground Railroad Code" quilts all the time. I answer with quotes from your book, "Facts and Fabrications..." I'm so glad you wrote it. Too many history teachers across America had been teaching the false code in their curriculum. No more false history, PLEASE!The Civil War Quilterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12336857233259680225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281798505305352117.post-56451385019166807842018-12-31T08:53:28.705-06:002018-12-31T08:53:28.705-06:00I wonder how many of these underground railroad my...I wonder how many of these underground railroad myths (and the buried with the silverware quilts) are stories that started with a tiny bit of truth. Perhaps the family was involved in underground railroad. Perhaps there is a quilt in the family for generations that no one knows when it was made or even how it was acquired (made by family? won in a sanitary aid raffle? swiped by a civil war soldier?) and someone combined all these bits into a story that became family lore. The story may have been accidental due to speculation and lack of research. Or on purpose to make the family or quilt seem more important somehow. I'd bet far fewer quilts, no matter how tatty, with the underground quilt lore attached got thrown on the burn pile than those that didn't have the story.<br /><br />I can give the owners of the items a pass, as they probably have no idea how to start researching the facts. Or maybe they don't want to know if the family story is true or not. But a museum should not be in the business of continuing such myths. Is now when I throw in a "Harumpf!" ??? :-) On the other hand, small town museums may not have the resources for research either.<br /><br />When you get items like this, do you let the museum know of the errors? And if so, do you ever hear back from them?JustGailhttp://justgail.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281798505305352117.post-84528814804038589592018-12-30T19:46:23.235-06:002018-12-30T19:46:23.235-06:00I've heard the underground railroad myth menti...I've heard the underground railroad myth mentioned in conversation as fact several times, and I have you and your research to thank for my ability to (gently) refute it every time! Cynthia@wabi-sabi-quiltshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03409769915035855136noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281798505305352117.post-39021840236719403252018-12-29T20:46:03.365-06:002018-12-29T20:46:03.365-06:00It’s actually unfortunate that fallacies are passe...It’s actually unfortunate that fallacies are passed as truth for the next generation to believe. Lady Locusthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12661298925602199106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281798505305352117.post-3997687464933099712018-12-29T11:51:30.319-06:002018-12-29T11:51:30.319-06:00I cannot conceive why a museum would not actually ...I cannot conceive why a museum would not actually investigate history and be honest about the quilt history, or if they don't know just don't write fiction.<br />I homeschooled and when my kids were younger we did use beets to dye a cloth to make an "Egyptian" robe- definitely more purple then red!!Lorihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12460244411628464458noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281798505305352117.post-6945904904500264212018-12-29T06:56:23.284-06:002018-12-29T06:56:23.284-06:00In other words the label has no truth to it.In other words the label has no truth to it.Jacquelinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04203042019743048339noreply@blogger.com