Local History Resources

Local History

City of Northampton Brief History of Northampton and Florence

David Ruggles Center  Information on Early Florence History & Underground Railroad Studies.

Florence Kindergarten & Hill Institute   The Hill Institute website describes the history of the school founded by Samuel T. Hill in 1876, one of the first in the United States.

Forbes Library Local History

Historic Northampton  Museum & Education Center of Northampton History.

Historic Northampton Virtual Tour: Entrepreneurs and Philanthropists

History of the Northampton Silk Industry  While the dedicated project website is now defunct, this introduction provides a nice overview of the Silk Industry in Northampton and Florence.

Leeds Civic Association  A short history of Leeds and information on events.

Northampton Association of Education & Industry    Website giving the story of the NAEI and its development in the 1840’s.

Sojourner Truth Memorial    A memorial to Sojourner Truth a former slave who lived in Florence, MA in the mid 1800’s. This group also built a statue of her on the corners of Pine & Park Street. Enjoy their walking tour.