Last Sunday, July 26, community members gathered at Laurel Park's Chautauqua 2015 for Steve Strimer's historic talk, “Rediscovering Florence's Abolitionist Past: Houses, Heroes, and their Stories."

Strimer, a local historian and active member of Historic Northampton, discussed the "once-forgotten" homes of David Ruggles, Sojourner Truth, Ezekiel Cooper, and other late-nineteenth century abolitionists who lived and organized with The Northampton Association of Education and Industry, a commune of abolitionists and social reformers that preceded the founding of Florence, Massachusetts.

"What has interested me most," he shared, "is to look for what remains from the built and natural landscapes of these practical idealists who so fully dreamed of the possibility of true equality."

To learn more about Florence's abolitionist past, contact the David Ruggles Center, or visit the African American Heritage Trail.