North Buxton and Home

We spent Wednesday morning at a wonderful museum in North Buxton, Ontario. This was the location of a settlement of freed slaves. It was started by Rev. King who owned 12 (I think) slaves and moved them to the North Buxton area. When they arrived in Canada of course they were free - Rev. Kings whole point to moving to Canada and he developed a settlement for them called the Elgin Settlement. Each freed slave could purchase 10 acres of land at $2.50 an acre. It needed to be paid off within 10 years at an interest rate of 6%. Each land owner had to abide by certain rules of the settlement including how big the house should be, putting in a vegetable garden and a picket fence out front. Sounds like our association rules!! We were able to tour a log cabin from the time of the settlement and their school. I loved the school!! When our wonderful tour guide and museum curator told us they had 100 students from first to twelth grade I didn't think it was the place I wanted to work! We had a wonderful time at this museum and felt very welcomed.

The next museum we had hoped to go to was closed - it is a small family run museum and they had people out of town so weren't open today. Instead we hunted down several lighthouses in the area and then headed home.

We stopped to see the grandkids as soon we got to town and then over to mother's before pulling into the driveway with a total of 2899.2 miles under our belts!!

Even though our trip is over stay tuned to my blog as I report on quilts made and other tidbits. My next blog will be the highlights and lowlights of our trip. But hands down we agree this was the best sight in the last two weeks.

Dresden and Chatham, Ontario

We're back on the train!! Today we went to Dresden, Ontario and found a wonderful museum centered around Josiah Henson. When Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin she used Josiah's autobiography as a model for her main character. The museum was well laid out and had some wonderful artifacts from the mid to late 1800's. It seems that every stop we learn a little more about the UGRR and the lives that were affected by it.

Our next stop was in Chatham at the Black Historical Society Museum. We felt like we were royalty at this small but powerful museum. We spoke with Brian Romineck and Gwen Robinson who gave us a guided tour of the history of Chatham and how it fit into the UGRR puzzle. Chatham was a destination for many free blacks and escaping slaves and they were very prosperous. It was in Chatham that John Brown came to plan his raid on Harper's Ferry and to gain financial support for his endeavor. Chatham was also the home of Mary Ann Shadd Cary who published a newspaper called The Provincial Freeman. Mary Ann became the first female black attorney at age 60! All I have to say is "you go girl!" We went to a cute little park dedicated to Black History in Chatham where this bust of Mary Ann Shadd Cary is displayed.

Tomorrow we are on to North Buxton another destination on the UGRR and perhaps John Freeman Walls Historic Site just outside of Windsor, Ontario. After that stop we are homeward bound!!

The Bruce Pennisula

We started the day at the museum in town where we had been told there was a display on the Underground Railroad. It turns out that the display is only out at certain times - mostly during February. There is another museum close to town but the ladies at the first museum said the other display is only seasonal also.

We decided to spend the day as tourist! We drove up the Bruce Peninsula and hiked to two waterfalls. We then drove to the tip of the peninsula and visited 3 lighthouses. It was a beautiful drive and we enjoyed the day very much. We did find a fabric store along the way and I did find some FQs of Canadian fabric (Canadian flag, moose, dragonfly). They had awesome flannel but I couldn't bring myself to purchase a big piece with the cost.

Tomorrow we are on our way to Dresden, Ontario where they have a Uncle Tom's Cabin memorial. The runaway slave that Harriet Beecher Stowe based her story on settled in Dresden, Ontario. There are several other spots for us to visit close to Dresden and we will have to see how much we accomplish.

Owen Sound

Today we drove up to Owen Sound. It was a destination for many escaping slaves. We went to the visitors center first and found a tour through town of historic spots from the time of arriving runaway slaves. We visited these spots and took some great pictures. Some of the spots still talked of secret rooms and underground arrival tunnels which we couldn't figure out. Why have secret spots when the slaves were free here? We couldn't find an answer. Tomorrow we are going to several museums and perhaps they will have some more information.

One of the neatest things we saw was a cairn as a memorial to the slaves who traveled the UGRR and made it to Owen Sound. This cairn is designed to reflect the entire route that the slaves traveled from Africa to Owen Sound. In the walls are rocks from Africa, southern former slave holding states and northern states that slaves would have traveled through. The "floor" of the cairn is quilt patterns from a signal quilt. They used 8 quilt patterns - they are beautiful!

Besides the UGRR sites we also went to a waterfall and found information about several more that we hope we have time to visit tomorrow.

No quilt shops today! But with the cost of fabric I'm not sure that's a bad thing!!

Traveling Through Canada

Today we spent the day traveling along the shore of Lake Ontario. It was a beautiful drive including a short ferry ride over a small inlet. No Underground Railroad today. I have to say Courtney every time we see something in French we say "too bad Courtney isn't here"!! We did take a picture of the Montreal skyline however it was sunset and we were in a moving car so the picture is either "artsy" or blurry depending on your thoughts. Bruce, I remember your offer to search for UGRR sites on golf courses along the way and I have noticed quite a few courses so maybe there is a tie there.

We found a fabric store in the Quilter's Travel Companion and when we stopped - we were right in the middle of a Shop Hop!! We did about three shops in the Shop Hop and had a great time. They do their Hops differently than at home - they have one quilt - this one a beautiful log cabin and you buy a kit for part of the quilt at each shop. You have to visit all 6 shops to get the complete quilt. I had forgotten that they do everything in meters up here so fat quarters are closer to fat thirds. Fabric is VERY expensive! It almost made my heart stop to see $14.99-$16.99 on the end of a bolt. While that is for a meter it works out at the $14.99 price to be $13.68 a yard!! YIKES! I didn't buy very much fabric. We have found everything to be very expensive up here even with the exchange rate ($1 USA = .85 Canadian).

We stopped for the night outside of Toronto. Tomorrow we finish our trip to Owen Sound and will visit some of their historic sites at the end of the UGRR.

Vermont

Today we spent the day in Vermont. We went to Rokeby, a home in Ferrisburgh that was a stop on the Underground Railroad. The guide, Stan, told us that for most it wasn't a stop on the railroad but rather a destination. He said that Vermont was the first state to pass laws that restricted the Fugitive Slave Law which said that a fugitive slave had to be returned if caught. He said there was no written information showing that a fugitive slave was ever returned from Vermont. Many runaway slaves moved to Vermont and started their new lives there. The Rokeby farm was a very large working farm raising Merino sheep, chickens and dairy cows. We found the tour at Rokeby to be very informative. The grounds and buildings are well kept up and we toured the outbuildings on our own and then had a guided tour of the house. Well worth the cost of admission.

After Rokeby we went to Essex Junction to a quilt shop named Yankee Pride! Oh my goodness, I thought I had died and gone to quilt shoppers heaven! They had a TON of reproductiton fabrics and great help to boot! We managed to get most of the remaining pieces that we needed. I had made notes on what I still needed but my "clear" notes got a bit confusing so I'm not sure I have 100% of what I need but most of it. The ladies at the shop said they have many quilters who come through the area to go to Keepsake Quilting (located in New Hampshire). When they get to Keepsake Quilting and ask for reproduction fabrics, they are sent to Yankee Pride! Do you think a shop hop that includes Savage, MD, Essex Junction, VT, and then on to New Hampshire would be too far? Let's say ROAD TRIP!!

We drove along Lake Champlain, through the islands and then into Canada. Do you speak French? We don't! Everything is in French!! Yikes!! We stopped for the night just outside of Montreal and the English speaking (thank goodness) hotel desk clerk said we would be in English speaking areas in about an hour drive. Montreal has a beautiful skyline and we were glad not to be driving into it!

We are headed to towns where a lot of runaway slaves settled. Our final destination is Owen Sound about 9 hours from here. We are traveling tomorrow and we'll see how far we get. Kent thinks we'll make it clear to Owen Sound but I think we'll have a bit to go on Sunday.

Lake Placid, NY

We spent the day in Lake Placid, NY. We started out at the John Brown Farm which was not a stop on the UGRR but an important place in the anti-slavery movement. It was interesting to see how people managed so long ago in very desolate areas. The ladies at the Farm were very helpful and directed us to areas that would have been stops on the UGRR. Unfortunately these places were a bit too far for a day trip and none were open to the public.

We enjoyed the rest of the day as Lake Placid tourists. We went to the top of the 120 meter ski jump - 26 stories high - what a great view of the area. The picture on the left is how it would look just before pushing off for a ski jump on the 120 meter run. Now I know why I decided to become a Kindergarten teacher and not a world famous ski jumper. We also visited the little shops along the main street of town and planned what to do with our money when we win the lottery and build our log cabin in the mountains.

Lake Placid has a very interesting history. As you might remember it was the location of the 1980 winter Olympics (and 1932 for older readers) but did you know that it has a tie to the American Library system? In 1914 Lake Placid was the home of the first winter resort in America called The Lake Placid Club. It was started by Melvin Dewey! You know good ol' Melvin - he developed the Dewey Decimal System! He became a resident of the area in 1895.

We did find a cute little fabric store here in Lake Placid. No reproduction fabrics but a great selection of other things. I found some "paper doll" and clothes material - which the shop owner said she had a very hard time getting as the manufacturer kept selling all of the runs to Keepsake Quilting. I love tib-bits of information!

This afternoon it has been raining like the dickens. We have enjoyed watching the loons out on the lake and a little chipmunk that we are feeding peanuts. Tomorrow we are off to Vermont to visit an UGRR stop in Ferrisburg.

Albany, NY

Put the ruby slippers away I am in quilt shop heaven! We had a wonderful day making our way to Albany by shop hopping. We went to two great shops and found lovely, lovely fabric! I am organizing my stash tonight so I know what I still need. It makes me wish I had my sewing machine with me. (I did see a really cute travel machine today and I had to get out of the store so I would stop drooling on it!)

Our first stop was in Pine Bush, NY at Quilter's Attic. Located in an big house they had an entire room dedicated to reproduction fabrics. It was great fun. I picked out all the fabric I would need for a Log Cabin quilt. Many people think the Log Cabin quilt with a black center was hung out to tell escaping slaves that this house was a safe place to stop. We were blessed to have sales clerk Karen help us figure, re figure and then figure again to decide on the best combination of fabrics. I am thrilled with the choices we made.

Our next stop was in Ravena, NY at Log Cabin Fabrics. It was in a - you guessed it - log cabin! I found several fabrics for borders and background neutrals. The sales clerk was very helpful and she directed us on to another fabric store in Glen Falls.

Before heading to Glen Falls we made a stop in Albany at a house that had been a stop on the UGRR that was currently being restored. It was easy to find but in a super crummy neighborhood. We pulled up in front, I stepped out of the van, snapped a picture, jumped back in the car and off we went. I had my fill of yucky neighborhoods from Philadalephia and DC!

The store in Glen Falls was in a neat old manufacturing building filled with other artsy shops. We arrived after closing and considered spending the night in Glen Falls and then when we looked at our schedule decided it would not be a good use of time. So we were off to Lake Placid.

The drive to Lake Placid was simply beautiful. The mountains, the lakes, streams, rocks, rivers, wow! Tomorrow we are going to John Brown's farm and gravesite.

Philadelphia (part 2)

Our second day in Philadelphia started out with thunderstorms and lots of rain!! Not such a great sight to people who are planning to walk every where! By the time we had breakfast, packed up and loaded the car the storm had p assed and although the natives were complaining about the humidity - we Hoosiers know real humidity and we thought it was fine weather! The rain did displace some of the story tellers and so we didn't get to hear all of the story tellers share their stories but we did manage to track down about 3 or 4. We agreed this was one of the highlights of the trip to Philly. We also found a book of their stories and bought that so I could share the stories with classes that I would talk to about the UGRR. We also found a UGRR museum but it was closed due to the rain - the building leaks!

We went away from the downtown's historic district and out to Belmont Mansion. It is a beautiful home situated on a high hill above the city. It was owned by a Mr. Peters who was a judge in the late 1700. He was a abolitionist and hid run away slaves in his attic as they traveled on the UGRR.

Our visit was very interesting. Even though the internet page listed the hours of operation from 11-5, everyday except Monday - they weren't open. The gentleman who met us in the parking lot said that they were associated with some college - I missed the name - and they were between semesters so they weren't open. When we said we were here for a tour he had us wait a minute and then invited us in. As it turned out there were 2 ladies there who were meeting 4 college students who would be working at the mansion over the summer as interns. So, we got the tour as the students got the tour. It was less than the best. They needed to be told information that we didn't need and we were hurried from room to room without much explaination. They had some high tech story telling devices but we didn't get a chance to listen to them and when we could turn them on, the ladies were telling the interns information so we really couldn't hear them. Needless to say it wasn't the best of stops. I was impressed to see quilts hung around the mansion but not all were made with period fabrics. The house's director told me that quilts were definitely used on the UGRR. I did get some really neat coloring pages to use in my classroom and a connection to a lady in Ohio who is connected with African American quilts. The ladies who took us through were very polite and pleasant and we really appreciated them allowing us even this short visit. I am sure they were not aware that we felt a little pushed aside. They had a job to accomplish and we were just "along for the ride".

After our visit to the mansion we went to a fabric shop called The Shop on the Hill. Isn't that a great name? We found it in a really cute neighborhood and I grabbed my plan book and away we went. The young lady that met us when we came in said no they didn't have civil war fabrics they only carried "hip things". (YIKES!) We did find a few novelty fabrics and then asked about other fabric stores. She directed us to fabric stores that she said carried mainly home furnishing fabrics but she thought they might have some quilt fabrics. She said the owner probably knew of some other stores but when the owner came out of the back room she said she couldn't help us because she had a computer program running. I should have worn my ruby slippers so I could tap them together while chanting - there's no place like home!! I feel like I didn't do my homework very well. I didn't think finding quilt shops would be this hard - I should have written to local quilt guilds and asked about shops in the area!

After that we drove through the yuckiest part of Philly but did find "Pat's King of Steaks" which has the originally Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches. We had a wonderful sandwich on picnic tables on the sidewalk. An eating tradition in Philly!

We are currently spending the night in Ramsey, NJ about half way to Albany, NY. The thing about days like today where things don't go as you expect - tomorrow is sure to be better! Stay tuned!!

Oh, but I forgot to tell you - the shop owner from the cool fabric store in Savage wrote about me in her blog. Check it out and see her super neat UGRR quilt squares. They are really neat. Her blog is http://springwaterdesigns.blogspot.com

Philadelphia

Today we spent the day in Philadelphia. This town is so rich in history - you can't even walk 10 steps without something historical having happened on that spot. This town was founded by William Penn and he was a Quaker. The Quakers were very big in the running of the Underground Railroad. We saw several signs about slaves and the UGRR throughout Old Town. We saw the spot where Henry Box Brown arrived when he mailed himself to freedom - it is currently the US Mint.

We found a wonderful service of the Parks Department called "Once Upon a Nation". There are semicircular benches throughout the area around the historic buildings and at each bench there is a story teller. We would go to a bench and hear a story of the UGRR. There are 13 benches in all and we thought only a few had UGRR stories but come to find out they all have UGRR stories just for the asking. We went to about 7 today and will plan to visit the rest tomorrow. The story tellers are college aged kids and they were excellent story tellers. We heard the story of Jane Johnson who walked off a steamboat to freedom with her 2 sons with the help of William Still and Passmore Williamson. We heard the story of Henry Box Brown with some wonderful singing to go along with the story and we also heard the story of a slave of George Washington who also sought freedom in Philadelphia.

Other highlights of the day was seeing the Liberty Bell - named such by abolitionists. We also saw Independence hall where the Slave Trade Act was passed banning US vessels from engaging in slave trade. This was a good thing and a bad thing - no more slaves were brought into this country but the slaves who were here were then much more freely traded and families split apart. We ate a charming pub where George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin used to dine and generally "hang out".

Tomorrow we will finish up hearing the story tellers, visit a African Methodist Episcopal Church and see the UGRR museum at Belmont Mansion. Although Philadelphia is wonderfully historic it is a bit too urban and crowded for our taste. As escaping slaves must have felt, we will be glad to be moving north tomorrow.

Washington DC

We spent Sunday in Washington DC and had several wonderful surprises throughout the day. To begin our day we went to church at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. What an awesome church.

After church we set off to find Fredrick Douglas' house. It was a great surprise to find his home so wonderfully looked after and we had an enlightening and educational tour. He was born into slavery but escaped and went on to become a sought after speaker and was not only a staunch abolitionist but also a strong supporter of women's rights. He was a United States Marshall under Abraham Lincoln. His house was a stop on the Underground Railroad. Harriet Tubman stopped by his house whenever she was in Washington. At the gift store I was surprised to find some really great teaching aides including finger puppets of Harriet Tubman and Fredrick Douglas. Very neat!

Another neat surprise was in Mr. Douglas' house. Almost all of the things in the house were original to when Mr. Douglas lived there. In the upstairs bedroom - the ladies guest room - there was a monkey wrench quilt on the bed. It was an original item. Very cool!! Note the chamber pot under the bed!

The last surprise of the day came on our way to Philadelphia. I was looking in my Quilter's Travel Companion and found a quilt shop that was on our way - well it would have been on our way if I had found it about 3 miles sooner. Kent said we were OK to turn around and go back and so we did. It was AWESOME! The name of the shop was "And Sew it Goes ~ Quilting". It was in Savage, Maryland. The building was a restored textile mill where they used to make cotton sails for ships. I didn't take any of my plans with me because we had been having such crummy luck and then when I got there and found her wonderful selection I had to rely on my memory because we were parked too far to go back and get my book. The shop owner was very helpful and we had a nice chat about the use of quilts on the Underground Railroad. When we got to our motel I told Kent I wanted to take up my fabric so I could look at it. Lots of different things than I have seen at home. Maybe this is the change in my luck!!

Alexandria, VA

Today we spent in Alexandria, Virginia. What an amazingly historic town! We started by visiting Duke Street which was where several slave auction houses and holding "pens" were located. We saw two buildings that had been auction houses. One is now an office building and the other is the headquarters of the Alexandria Urban League. They weren't open but we looked in through the windows. They are working to turn the building into a museum. Our next stop was the Contraband (which is what they called runaway slaves) and Freedman's Cemetery. It is so sad because it is just an overgrown field - no markers, nothing. Apparently it was "lost" and at one point a filling station was located on the corner. At some point they realized what was under the filling station and they planned a recovery and relocation of the bodies. The sign at the cemetery said the project was to be completed in 2007 - looks like that wasn't the case. It will be interesting to see what I can find out about the project on line.

We enjoyed walking through Old Town and visiting some of the little shops. We ate on the deck of a restaurant on the Potomac River. It was very enjoyable.

Once again our quest for the perfect quilt shop was a bust. We went to one store and it was now a dentist office. We asked someone in Old Town who was very excited to tell us all about a knit shop. She was amazed that I thought it wouldn't have fabric. Doesn't anyone sew out here?? This is a job opportunity for anyone who would love to live in this area!

We did find a big box store fabric store "G Street Fabrics" near our motel. We found two Civil war fabrics but nothing super neat. They did have an awesome button area - too bad I wasn't looking for buttons! They had an entire wall - with a sales clerk designated to helping with buttons!

We are looking forward to Washington DC tomorrow.

At Harper's Ferry

We spent the night at a wonderful B&B last night and tonight's B&B is smaller but has awesome views.

We spent the day at historic Harper's Ferry. It is the sight of John Brown's raid to take over the Army Arsenal in hopes to arm the slaves and free all slaves with a revolt. As you may know from history - it didn't work. He was captured and hanged in nearby Charles Town. Harper's Ferry has been restored to a historic village with displays in each building. It was very interesting! The weather was very rainy all day which made the village not very crowded except for the 2 bus loads of 6th grade students who were on a field trip! Just so you know - 6th graders are very loud in small buildings!

After touring Harper's Ferry we felt our options were limited due to the weather but I told Kent I could think of something to do when the weather was rainy -- go to a quilt shop!! We drove about 20 miles to a tiny little shop that was closing in 8 days. Their prices were great - fabric $4 a yard and fat quarters for $1.25 but selection was very poor. The next closest shop was about another 20 miles away and I couldn't convince Kent that we should drive that much further. I am still looking for a wonderful cache of civil war era fabric. So far, not much luck!

Tomorrow it is off to Alexandria to the slave auction house and hopefully better fabric hunting.

The Trip to Harper's Ferry

We left home at 7:30 this morning and arrived at our B&B at 7:30 tonight. It was a long day and we were glad to get out of the van. We intended to travel across Ohio about midstate but we followed our GPS and by the time we figured out where it was taking us, we were at the Ohio Turnpike! Not our first choice but we did get to visit Oberlin, Ohio which has a great history with the UGRR and the Civil War. It claims to be the town that started the Civil War. There is a college in Oberlin and the town is very socially minded - now and back in the 1800's. We saw several homes and churches associated with the UGRR and heard many interesting stories. On the college administration lawn they had constructed a very unique monument to the UGRR - as you can see it's a railroad headed underground. Cool huh?

We also saw a mural on the side of a building about the UGRR. Note the singal quilt in the middle.

Besides all these cool sights we also found a very neat fabric store. We went to Olla Mae's Drygoods. It was in the basement of a bank!! The shop was small but packed with cool things. We enjoyed looking around and shopping!!

We are actually staying in Charles Town, WV. The town was founded by George Washington's brother. The B&B we are staying in, "Washington House", was owned by members of Washington's family. It is a 6000 square foot home, we are on the third floor - it's beautiful!

Thanks for checking in!

Here we go!

I have put out my monkey wrench quilt to signal that we are ready to start on a journey. It would have told slaves to gather their things and be prepared to go.

We are currently gathering things and getting ready also. Our "trip ticket" from AAA is 211 pages long!! We have 8 travel books and that many maps!! Last night I spoke with some wonderful people at B&B's in Harper's Ferry and we are going to be staying at two different places.

Harper's Ferry is the place where John Brown waged his famous revolt to free the slaves. It is said to be the precursor to the Civil War. This year is the 150th anniversary of the raid. We are excited about the great history lesson we are about it learn.

We leave tomorrow at first light and will be spending the night in Harper's Ferry, WV!!

Pray us a safe trip!

Getting Started

This is the beginning of my trip and the beginning of my blog experience! I am a teacher in Northeast Indiana and was awarded a Lilly Grant this summer for teacher enrichment. I am going to travel a path of the Underground Railroad and when I return home I will make signal quilts that some say were used on the UGRR to help the fleeing slaves.

I know that there is a great deal of controversy about whether quilts were used as signals or not. There are no written documents that provide concrete proof, only oral histories. Being from a family that is big on oral histories I am approaching this with an open mind. The quest of my journey is not to prove this theory but to enjoy the benefits of exploring a whole new world based on "what if".

Currently I am working on a Monkey Wrench quilt that would signal slaves to pack their bags and begin their journey. My actual Journey will begin June 4.