We invite you to join us for our America 250 statewide initiative...

Pre-Civil War Quilts: Secret Codes to Freedom on the Underground Railroad™

A Road Scholar Program by Connie Martin

Puzzle Quilty made by Connie Martins Mother
When

Feb 8, 2026
3:00pm–4:00pm

Where

Calumet City Historical Society
760 Wentworth Ave
Calumet City, IL 60409

Cost

Free

"Quilt Whisperer" Connie Martin, MA. provides an American historical information presentation from research on her family history to reveal secret codes in quilts as a 6th generation descendant of enslaved Africans in Kentucky. 

Connie finds joy in sharing stories of her great grandmother Lizzie, as told to her from her enslaved mother who told stories of plantation escapes traveling through Kentucky, Missouri and into Illinois to freedom in Canada. 

  • Who began the Underground Railroad?
  • Why was it the most successful national covert operation to exist in America? 

Learn the untold history of secret safe routes, and codes used on the Underground Railroad, including special stitching in the quilts; used throughout our counties - including use of Illinois rivers and streams that freedom seekers used to follow using abolitionist guides who risked their lives assisting them north to Canada.

Connie Martin Approved 2025 10 20 3

This event is Free and Open to the public. For more information, please contact Mike Wolski at calcityhistory@aol.com.

Learn more about Connie Martin, this program, and how to book it here.

Venue Parking and Accessibility

Parking is free on the street or in the parking lot.  The building is one-story at ground level and accessible to the mobility impaired.