Crisp Museum hosts Underground Railroad Quilt display, tour

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KBSI) – Samantha Washington is an assistant professor at Southeast Missouri State. With a family history of quilting, she has taken an interest in it herself, especially as it relates to the Underground Railroad. 

Every Friday during the month of February, she came to the Crisp Museum to quilt a block that helps form a quilt in the Underground Railroad Quilt display. 

“It’s been a great learning experience not just learning how to sew but also learning the history behind what the blocks mean,” she said.

Washington helped museum curator of education Ellen Flentge organize this exhibition. Flentge said the display and today’s tour specifically gave people a deeper understanding of a historically significant subject like the Underground Railroad than an average museum exhibit would.

“My hope is that with people coming to the Crisp Museum, hearing a docent tour where I can tell them more details than just what an object with a label is, I’m able to verbally give you some more background and show you a linkage, just like I did today,” she said.

Quilter Ronda O’Gara said she knew there was some connection between quilts and the Underground Railroad, but did not realize how strong that connection was. 

“I learned a lot about making quilt blocks but also about how quilts played a role in the Underground Railroad, which was surprising to me,” she said. “I knew there was something there, but I just didn’t know how in depth it was and how informative a quilt could be for you to get from point A to point B.”