The Ruggles Center offers walking tours and hosts visiting school groups using original curriculum. Museum exhibits highlight David Ruggles, Sojourner Truth, Lydia Maria Child and the local Underground Railroad. We sponsor a range of programs pertaining to this past and related contemporary issues. The Archives and Reading Room are available to the public by appointment.
Our History
Florence was settled by a radical abolitionist intentional community in the 1840s. A large number of self-emancipated and free blacks settled in and near the welcoming community. The Northampton Association left a lasting imprint as Florence grew into a thriving industrial village. We tell the stories of people who were drawn here by a desire to create and live in a more just society.
The David Ruggles Center is proud to be a facility on the U.S. National Park Service Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. We interpret the stories of local black and white abolitionists who helped formerly enslaved people make their way to safety. We are a regional repository for the history of the Underground Railroad in Northampton as well as surrounding towns.
The famed orator Sojourner Truth lived in Florence for fourteen years. She launched her national career as a strong advocate for African-Americans and women while living at the Northampton Association and published her widely-read autobiography while in Florence. The Sojourner Truth Memorial Statue and her home are just a short walk from the museum.
In 1842, a group of abolitionist families formed a working community dedicated to racial, gender and economic equality. Living and working arrangements were a direct challenge to existing social and economic norms. The Association made Florence into an important center of anti-slavery activity. The silk mill where they lived and worked was across from our Center.