Join tour guide Tom Goldscheider from the David Ruggles Center for History and Education to explore the historic neighborhoods of the abolitionist founders, both black and white, who made Florence a center of resistance to the slave power and for the equality of races, genders, and religions. We are fortunate to have so many preserved homes [...]

Join tour guide Steve Strimer from the David Ruggles Center for History and Education to explore the historic neighborhoods of the abolitionist founders, both black and white, who made Florence a center of resistance to the slave power and for the equality of races, genders, and religions. We are fortunate to have so many preserved [...]

Meet at Forbes Library. Includes West Street, South Street, and Main Street.

Meet at Historic Northampton. Includes Bridge Street, Pomeroy Terrace, Phillips Street, and North Street.

Meet at Park St. Cemetery

Meet at David Ruggles Center, 225 Nonotuck St., Florence

A slide show and talk with Steve Strimer. Steve, one of the founders of the David Ruggles Center will discuss how it came to be, what and how we interpret, and what we at the DRC hope to accomplish.

We will celebrate Basil Dorsey and his neighbor and assistant on the UGRR, the fiery abolitionist David Ruggles. Ruggles and Joshua Leavitt guided Dorsey to Northampton and Charlemont by 1838. Dorsey then came to Florence in 1844 and became the villages chief teamster for its goods. The presentation will be in the lower level of [...]

We'll walk to home sites of Basil Dorsey and other formerly enslaved citizens, Joseph Willson, Ezekiel Cooper, Lewis French, Henry Anthony, William Wright, and George Hodestia.