Modern codes frequently involve number code groups and mathematical algorithms. Some older codes used alternate words, such as the Native American Code Talkers' system. In 1998 the book, Hidden in Plain View: A Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad, put forth the theory that slave quilts conveyed hidden messages to African American fugitives trying to make their way north to freedom. The authors of the book, Jacqueline Tobin and Raymond Dobard, proposed the theory that different patterns in the quilts were given different meanings and that the slaves committed them to memory. The authors contend that the slaves would sew the patterns and quilts and, as they did so, reinforce the message. One example in the book suggests the "Flying Geese" pattern was used to remind escaping slave to follow the geese migrating north.
According to the authors' research, 17 patterns are thought to have been used in the secret slave quilt codes. The example in our museum is a sample of these 17 patterns. They ranged from patterns relating advice, such as the Flying Geese, to others that sent direct messages. Tobin and Dobard note that slaves memorized poems that listed each of the different patterns. These verses provided an easy way to recall the patterns and remember the advice. As an example, one of the lines from the poem states, "The monkey wrench turns the wagon wheel toward Canada on the bear's paw trail to the crossroads." Four patterns are mentioned in this line, but no further information is given within the poem. The authors theorize that it was up to the refugee slave to remember the meaning of each pattern. If the story is true, it is unlikely that all 17 symbols were used simultaneously; different symbols may have been used at different times or on different routes.
There is little or no present day historical evidence to support the theory of the "quilt codes". Most historians consider the stories involving the quilts to be more legend than fact. But there is some corroborating information, largely from oral traditions related by Tobin and Dobard that support the theory. At the time Tobin and Dobard published their book, NSA/CSS had a very active quilting club. Intrigued by the story, the members set about creating a sampler that incorporated the many symbols, and did so using 19th century quilting techniques.