>>>I don't recall the fact quilts may or may not have been used as
disproved. Most involved were either on one side or the other. >>>>

Disproved. No one (who knew anything about it) was on the "other side".
It has been extensively discussed on both H-Slavery and H-Quilt. Of
course you can't prove a negative, but, as has been pointed out, most of
the claims in the original book are easily disproved, most of the
"evidence" has been debunked, and it's logically quite unlikely to have
worked. Where evidence should have been found (folklore previous to the
1990s, printed slave testimonies) - there's nothing. 

The problem is, now it's something every school child knows. It's in the
curriculum. It's warm, friendly, and hands-on. It would be nice if it
were true. We like stories of people actively subverting oppression. We
want the slaves to have escaped. But the quilt/underground railroad
story is no more true than Washington and the cherry tree. 

Carol Ely 
Locust Grove
Louisville, KY

=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).