Visitors can experience a FREE guided walking tour on the interpretive trail at the W.E.B. Du Bois Homesite in a rural setting two miles from downtown Great Barrington. The interpretive trail highlights Du Bois’s journey from Great Barrington to the world stage, information from ongoing archaeological excavations, as well as the Homesite dedication in 1969. Visitors can also explore Du Bois’s legacy in the landscape of downtown Great Barrington. Take the W.E.B Du Bois in Great Barrington Walking Tour to learn about places and people important to Du Bois.
The Ashley House tells the intertwined stories of the Ashleys and the enslaved African Americans who lived here in the 18th century. The Ashley House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and an anchor site on the Upper Housatonic Valley African American Heritage Trail.
Col. John Ashley built the house in 1735, and spent the next decades accumulating wealth and land. By the time of his death in 1802, Ashley owned more than 3,000 acres – including the land that is now The Trustees’ Bartholomew’s Cobble. Ashley supported the American Revolution, heading a committee that wrote the fiery Sheffield Resolves, a petition against British tyranny and manifesto for individual rights, in 1773. His financial success was based in part on the labor of five enslaved African Americans.
Inspired by Revolutionary-era rhetoric and her own desire for freedom, Mum Bett, who was enslaved in the Ashley House, helped end slavery in Massachusetts. In 1781, she sued Col. Ashley for her freedom – and won. Mum Bett was and remains an inspiration to all who learn her story.
Today, the Ashley House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and an anchor site on the Upper Housatonic Valley African American Heritage Trail. It contains fine collections of redware, furniture, and tools. The Ashley House is adjacent to Bartholomew’s Cobble Reservation, which offers five miles of scenic trails.
The Ashley House is part of the Berkshire 18th Century Trail.
Date & Time–
Sunday, July 2, 9 , 16, 23, 30 aug 6,13, 20, 27
Tours given at: 12 Noon, 1 PM, & 2 PM
Slavery began to crumble in Massachusetts when Elizabeth “Mumbet” Freeman successfully sued for her freedom from slavery and did it more than 80 years before the Emancipation Proclamation. The Trustees will host an afternoon of activities to celebrate and illuminate the story of Elizabeth Freeman at the Ashley House in Sheffield, MA. Activities will include guided tours of the Ashley House and a performance by storyteller an actress Tammy Denease with her dramatic re-telling of “Mumbet’s Story.”
Cost–FREE
Contact Information
413.298.3239×3016
mmoulton@thetrustee.org
Visitors can experience a FREE guided walking tour on the interpretive trail at the W.E.B. Du Bois Homesite in a rural setting two miles from downtown Great Barrington. The interpretive trail highlights Du Bois’s journey from Great Barrington to the world stage, information from ongoing archaeological excavations, as well as the Homesite dedication in 1969. Visitors can also explore Du Bois’s legacy in the landscape of downtown Great Barrington. Take the W.E.B Du Bois in Great Barrington Walking Tour to learn about places and people important to Du Bois.
The Ashley House tells the intertwined stories of the Ashleys and the enslaved African Americans who lived here in the 18th century. The Ashley House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and an anchor site on the Upper Housatonic Valley African American Heritage Trail.
Col. John Ashley built the house in 1735, and spent the next decades accumulating wealth and land. By the time of his death in 1802, Ashley owned more than 3,000 acres – including the land that is now The Trustees’ Bartholomew’s Cobble. Ashley supported the American Revolution, heading a committee that wrote the fiery Sheffield Resolves, a petition against British tyranny and manifesto for individual rights, in 1773. His financial success was based in part on the labor of five enslaved African Americans.
Inspired by Revolutionary-era rhetoric and her own desire for freedom, Mum Bett, who was enslaved in the Ashley House, helped end slavery in Massachusetts. In 1781, she sued Col. Ashley for her freedom – and won. Mum Bett was and remains an inspiration to all who learn her story.
Today, the Ashley House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and an anchor site on the Upper Housatonic Valley African American Heritage Trail. It contains fine collections of redware, furniture, and tools. The Ashley House is adjacent to Bartholomew’s Cobble Reservation, which offers five miles of scenic trails.
The Ashley House is part of the Berkshire 18th Century Trail.
Date & Time–
Sunday, July 2, 9 , 16, 23, 30 aug 6,13, 20, 27
Tours given at: 12 Noon, 1 PM, & 2 PM
Visitors can experience a FREE guided walking tour on the interpretive trail at the W.E.B. Du Bois Homesite in a rural setting two miles from downtown Great Barrington. The interpretive trail highlights Du Bois’s journey from Great Barrington to the world stage, information from ongoing archaeological excavations, as well as the Homesite dedication in 1969. Visitors can also explore Du Bois’s legacy in the landscape of downtown Great Barrington. Take the W.E.B Du Bois in Great Barrington Walking Tour to learn about places and people important to Du Bois.
FOR DETAILED SCHEDULE OF ALL EVENTS, PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE –“2017 HOUSATONIC HERITAGE WALKS”
click on “event website” listed above
FOR DETAILED SCHEDULE OF ALL EVENTS, PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE –“2017 HOUSATONIC HERITAGE WALKS”
click on “event website” listed above
FOR DETAILED SCHEDULE OF ALL EVENTS, PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE –“2017 HOUSATONIC HERITAGE WALKS”
click on “event website” listed above
FOR DETAILED SCHEDULE OF ALL EVENTS, PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE –“2017 HOUSATONIC HERITAGE WALKS”
click on “event website” listed above
FOR DETAILED SCHEDULE OF ALL EVENTS, PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE –“2017 HOUSATONIC HERITAGE WALKS”
click on “event website” listed above