Historic Northampton’s Elizabeth Sacktor will lead a walking tour of downtown Northampton as seen through the theme of immigration in the 19th and 20th centuries. The tour will be a non-chronological exploration of how Northampton’s many immigrant populations worked and built community amid changing sentiments and discrimination.
Hear the stories of two Irish men executed for a crime they did not commit. See the former home of a successful Jewish family who turned their clothing business into a Northampton staple. Learn about the ways Puerto Rican women made a name for themselves for their fine needlework. Visit the site of a former Chinese Laundry and learn about the U.S.’s first laws limiting immigration based on race.
Together, we will ask questions about what it means to be American, what it means to be from Northampton, and how our home is shaped by the communities with whom we share it.
with Betty Sharpe, Historic Northampton Co-director
Friday, September 19, 2025
Friday, September 26, 2025
Sunday, September 28, 2025
Wednesday October 8, 2025
10 - 11 am
Many of today’s familiar locations in downtown are the sites of historical events which are no longer remembered but which ought to be.
Join co-director Betty Sharpe as we visit sites where moments of injustice, political division, and social progress took place, including where Mary Bliss Parsons lived when she was accused of witchcraft in the late 1600s, formerly enslaved Moidore and Boston lived, Frederick Douglass spoke in 1844, the first weddings of same-sex couples took place in 2004, and much more.
From Elwell Island to the Boundary Waters (of Hatfield)
Saturday, October 4, 2025
9 - 11 am
Take in the beauty of the Connecticut River in a dragon boat and learn about the rich natural and cultural history in the stretch between Elwell Island and the boundary of Hatfield. The outing will begin with a paddling lesson by members of the Paradise City Dragon Boat team, followed by a paddle with commentary by co-director and naturalist Laurie Sanders about the environmental and human history of this part of the Connecticut River.
This is an active outing. Participants are expected to be fit enough to paddle and to handle themselves in the boat. For ages 18+. All equipment provided, no prior paddling experience necessary. The rain date is Sunday, October 5, 2025.
All proceeds will benefit the Paradise Dragon Boat Team and Historic Northampton.
Simon Cohn (at right) and possibly Marcus Cohn in front of Cohn's clothing store, circa 1890s, on the current location of Sweetie's Candy Store at the corner of Main and Pleasant streets.
Photo by Lewis Hine of newspaper boys on Market Street, Northampton, August 1912. Courtesy of the National Child Labor Committee Collection, Library of Congress.
Paradise City Dragon Boat on the Connecticut River.
Refund Policy: All sales are final. There are no refunds for time conflicts or change of mind reasons. A partial refund due to medical reasons may be requested by email prior to the event: info@historicnorthampton.org.
