The major industries established in Florence during the 19th century were founded by reform-minded individuals who championed progressive causes throughout their lives. Their success in business was matched by their generosity in giving. Many of the . . . — — Map (db m168919) HM
Florence, or Broughton’s Meadow as it was originally called, was one of America’s early manufacturing centers. In 1837, Samuel Whitmarsh established the area’s first silk mill along the Mill River. Importing silk worms fed on homegrown mulberry . . . — — Map (db m65761) HM
Present-day Florence is the site of one of the most active centers of the anti-slavery movement in America. In 1842, members of the Northampton Association of Education and Industry, among them Samuel L. Hill and George Benson, established a utopian . . . — — Map (db m168866) HM
The Florence Eagles were once one of the legendary teams of early baseball history. In 1865, as the Civil War drew to a close, the Army of the Potomac had its own championship team composed mainly of youths from Western Massachusetts. One of the . . . — — Map (db m65746) HM
