May 21, 2013 1 min read

Pennsylvania Humanities speaker Casandra Gunkle will present a program on “Quilts of the Underground Railroad” at 5 p.m. June 18 at Bentleyville Public Library.

Gunkel, an Ivyland history adjunct professor, will discuss the secret paths traveled by African Americans who escaped slavery in the South, which has been well-documented by historians. Far less is known whether slaves used quilts as signals to guide their way to freedom.

Authentic 19th-century quilts and modern reproductions are used to explore some of the ways in which women may have stitched their politics, history and mythology into quilt designs. Gunkel has studied African American quilts and textiles to document the lives of women who captured their histories and stories in their creative work.

Call the library at 724-239-5122 to register.