Our Museum is Open Sundays, 12-4, and By Appointment
The David Ruggles Center for History and Education is open for visitors Sundays 12-4 from June 5- September 25. Current exhibits include: ~David Ruggles: At the Vanguard of Liberty ~“The Spirit Calls Me There”: Sojourner Truth in Florence, 1844-1857 ~Lydia Maria Child, Abolitionist ~People, Places, and Paper: The Underground Railroad in Northampton and Florence Visitors [...]
Living History in the Garden: Stories of Silk (registration required)
Join Growfood Northampton at the Community Garden in Florence for an interactive workshop to learn about silk, mulberry trees and silkworms and and the rich history of silk production here in Florence during the 19th century. Register and purchase tickets at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/living-history-in-the-garden-stories-of-silk-tickets-380642500967. Space is limited, registration required. The base price for tickets is $10 per [...]
Florence Utopian Bike Tour
The Ruggles Center is partnering with the Friends of Northampton Trails (FNT) for its second annual “Florence Utopian Bike Tour”. We meet on Saturday, October 1, at 9:30 at the Florence Civic Center and ride four miles in and around the village. Along the way we will learn about the radical abolitionists who formed a [...]
Book Celebration: The Confessions of Matthew Strong by Ousmane Power-Greene
Northampton Center for the Arts 33 Hawley St., Northampton, MassachusettsPlease join us in a celebration of the publication of DRC Board Member Ousmane Power-Greene's novel, The Confessions of Matthew Strong at the Northampton Center for the Arts, Wednesday, October 26 at 5:30. Ousmane's novel can be purchased at the celebration or at Broadside Books as of Oct. 26.
Lydia Maria Child: A Radical American Life
A Zoom Presentation by Professor Lydia Moland sponsored by Historic Northampton and the David Ruggles Center. (Event Website) When the prominent abolitionist Lydia Maria Child and her husband moved to Northampton in 1838, it was with an ambitious goal: to grow sugar beets to undermine the plantation sugar trade. Sugar beets had never been grown in [...]
Honoring Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Open Hours at the David Ruggles Center
David Ruggles Center 225 Nonotuck St., Florence, MA, United StatesIn honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the David Ruggles Center located at 225 Nonotuck St. in Florence, MA will be open Monday January 16 from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. There will be a docent on duty during this time, but no specific program. Anyone who wishes to include a visit to the [...]
“The Beauty of Color,” with Composer Brandon Waddles, Conductor Arianne Abela, and Local Historian Steve Strimer, moderated by Martin L. Garnar, Director of Libraries at Amherst College
ZoomJoin us for this Zoom conversation with prominent contemporary composer Brandon Waddles, Amherst College Director of Choral Activities, Arianne Abela, and local historian Steve Strimer of the David Ruggles Center as we discuss the upcoming world premiere of Waddle's new choral work, "The Beauty of Colour." Dr. Waddles will also describe his career as a [...]
Basil Dorsey Day Museum Open Hours
In honor of Basil Dorsey Day, The David Ruggles Center will be open Saturday, February 18 from 9:30-1:30. Learn about the Florence-based abolitionist movement, Underground Railroad and the 1840s Utopian community dedicated to racial, economic, and gender equality. Current exhibits include the lives of abolitionists David Ruggles, Sojourner Truth, and Lydia Maria Childs.
Basil Dorsey Day Walking Tour
In honor of Basil Dorsey Day, Steve Strimer will interpret the local landscape to tell the story of Basil Dorsey who escaped slavery in Maryland and eventually settled here in Florence. The tour begins at 10AM at the David Ruggles Center. Suggested donation $5-10.
“After Archives”: Artist Wendel White in Conversation with Novelist and Historian Dr. Ousmane Power-Greene
The DRC along with Historic Northampton and A.P.E. Ltd. Gallery is cosponsoring a Conversation with DRC Board Member novelist and historian Dr. Ousmane Power-Greene and Wendel White, an artist whose work is displayed as part of the A.P.E. Gallery's show, "After Archives." The program will be on ZOOM. "After Archives" will be at the A.P.E. [...]