Secret Codes of the Underground Railroad:

During the operation of the Underground Railroad, slaves and conductors had to get messages to one another without being caught. The conductors and slaves came up with some very clever ideas to spread hidden messages through various, everyday objects. Two of the main ways they spread messages was through quilt patterns and songs. These messages were referred to as "Railroad Language."

Secret Codes of the Quilts:

While some say the use of quilts in the Underground Railroad debatable, there is significant evidence to suggest otherwise. Quilts would most often be used by station masters who would weave quilts with intricate designs and put them in front of their house, sometimes drying on a clothesline, for all to see. To someone not involved in the Underground Railroad, the quilt would not appear out of the ordinary. However, to escaping slaves of the Underground Railroad, the quilts told them everything from which path to take to where they would find a conductor. Each quilt had meaning and could be easy to recognize by escaping slave and there were quilt designs for almost everything a slave could need to know.

Secret Codes in Songs:

Another way that slaves and conductors passed messages was through song. Songs such as "Wade in the Water" and "Follow the Drinking Gourd" provided specific information about routes north; to slaves, the Big Dipper, which pointed towards the North Star, was known as "the drinking gourd," but to a plantation owner, it was known by another name. Thus, African American slaves could sing "Follow the Drinking Gourd" to pass along information on how to make it North without being detected. Additionally, the song mentions leaving at the crowing of a quail; this was significant because quails can only be found in the South during the winter when the nights are longer and slaves can have more travelling time. One song, "Go Down, Moses," was a song about Harriet Tubman and her legendary work on the Underground Railroad. Another song, "Steal Away," was sung at African American meetings to signal that a group of slaves was considering escaping and they were looking for more to join them.

Quilt Codes: All of these codes and quilt designs can be seen in the picture above.

Tumbling Blocks - This quilt design is a symbol indicating that it was time for slaves to pack up and go, and that a conductor was in the area.

Flying Geese - This design was used as a guide to find water, food, and places to rest.

North Star - This design was used to show direction of the Big Dipper constellation. Going north was the direction of traffic on the Underground Railroad.

Bear's Paw - This meant to follow a mountain, out of view, and then follow an actual bear's trail of footsteps, which would lead to water and food.

Wagon Wheel - This signaled slaves to pack the items needed to travel by wagon.

Drunkard's Path - This was a warning signal to take a zigzag route to elude (escape) pursuing hunters and their hounds.

Broken Dishes - This was a symbol referring to another signal that involved broken crockery (dishes) at some future landmark.

Bow Tie - The design was a symbol indicating it was necessary to travel in disguise or to change from the clothing of a slave to those of a person of higher status.

Monkey Wrench - A signal to gather all the tools required for the fleeing slave's journey.

Sailboat - This was a signal that either a body of water was nearby or that boats were available.

Crossroads - A symbol referring to Cleveland, Ohio, which was the main crossroads with several routes to freedom.

Britches - A symbol indicating that the escaping slave needed to dress as a free person, not as a slave.

Station masters often modified their homes and wagons with sliding shelves or false bottoms to further protect the Underground Railroad's secrets and runaway slaves. The sliding shelves on the left can be found at a home in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

The Wagon, pictured right, was owned and used by Levi Coffin to transport runaways without getting caught.