The Underground RR is a historical fact. And with any fact from the past, we may have added some romanticism to it through the years. I think that is Ok, mainly because I love history and I admire these people who carved out our land. Many times as we travel down the road, I try to imagine the team of horses in the field, connected by straps to a yoke so leather-skin farmer could pull the stubborn tree stumps from the area of land he would love to see cleared. It meant more harvest; let alone, easier to plant in the spring. But, we just drive along, taking for granted that the open corn fields have always been there for us to profit from.

The Abolitionists were a strongly convicted group of people. Slowly,but surely, the conscious of our “people” realized how wrong and how constraining slavery was in our young country. As time progressed, and the “movement” grew stronger, the southeast and southwest portions of Ohio became more and more involved in hiding these men, women and children. Safe one “place” at at time!

Charles S. Colvin came from New Jersey in the 19th Century. His father had come from Ireland in early 1800’s. Then his father died at the age of 34, Charles was then 4 years old. His mother must have been a very brave woman, because she came to the Ohio territory in the Spring of 1832 and settled in Warren County. She lived 20 years. After her passing, Charles worked to set up a livery business. It took him 13 years to gather sources in different areas of town to open a main livery on Mechanics Street. During that time he had 6 children with Mary (Gohegan, a native of Lebanon) but only 3 children survived. The history segment that I am reading stated that he was “peculiarly adapted” to running a livery. So, he must have liked animals and also chatting with patrons too.

Along the way, in my imagination I have gathered thoughts of a livery being a great place to hide people until they could rest or gather food to travel a little further north to their freedom across the Great Lakes. That is why I made the Underground RR one of the first quilts I completed on my longarm, a gammill machine.

That was 2 years ago.! Funny how life goes; I had no idea that my sister and I would be opening a quilt shop in Southwestern, Ohio in a building people have said they think is over 140 years old and presents itself as one day, many years ago, was built as a livery…maybe it was part of Charles places, where he kept his animals or stationing of horses and other animals for people of the town.

My imagination never stops!

So, we will soon start our Underground RR Sampler lessons.

They will run for a year and there are 16 blocks to do, so we will have to double up on blocks in some of the months to complete it by next January. Part of the story, is that they would hang quilts on the line to let “travelers” know it was safe or not to come near their farm or buildings or places to seek for safe-hiding. There are few written records of the Underground RR due to the fact that many Quakers were part of this movement; passive and not wanting to show mistrust to anyone. They preferred their conscience be solely between themselves and their God.

I am glad we helped these people. We don’t understand all of the Civil War, such a hard and difficult time for families. Our Country in the North and South suffered greatly.

My heart reaches out to help people today and just thinking back on our past and ancestors I am amazed at what they seemed to have been able to accomplish. Amazing!!!

Please visit an old cemetery and read the names, if you still can. Read the sayings, the scriptures they may have put there by the names. It somehow, gives you a profound feeling, knowing that they once were walking and breathing too. They paid the cost of settling this land in ways we will never know! Amazing!!!

Join us with investing time in quilting!! Get “Onboard” lets’ say, with the RR!!  January 26th at 10 a.m. and then every third Saturday again at 10 a.m.  Hope to see you at Olde Glory Quilt Shoppe!

As Always, Quilted Blessings! Kari