by Richard Malachowski

Log Cabin Quilts are characterized by their interlocking geometric shape, and strong use of rectangle (log shaped) elements and swatches. This type of quilt design has been traced back to the period during or just before the Civil War and has remained popular in American quilting for well over 150 years.

During the 1860's and 1870's the log cabin quilt look was so popular that many fairs opened separate areas for showing and selling these items, and many textile manufacturers often packaged bundles of shirting prints and dyed swatches for sale to quilters interested in creating their own log cabin looks. Log cabin quilts were believed to have played a role in Underground Railroad, which was the secret network of stations that assisted African Americans fleeing from slavery. It is said that log cabin quilts were hung on laundry lines to indicate a safe haven for those who were running north. Log cabin quilts used by the underground railroad usually contained a black center square to indicate safety.

Other stories suggest that some log cabin quilts contained a hidden map in their patterning with encoded information about railroad way stations along the northern journey.

The quilt pictured here is from the quilt collection of the Governor Sprague Mansion and was donated to the Cranston Historical Society by Catherine Bryant in 1984. It was recently shown as part of the City of Cranston's Millennium celebration.