Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association (Memorial Hall Museum)

The “African Americans in Early New England” project will strengthen Memorial Hall’s ability to serve its public by creating permanent programs focused on this overlooked history of African Americans. Building on past research, the association will present the history of African Americans in rural New England by using court records, account books, medical records, journals, and material culture. These collections will form the basis for new walking tours, education programs, Web programs, a resource database, and sustainability planning. Scholars and community groups will make formal recommendations for the future direction of the project to best serve broad audiences. This project augments other regional efforts to explore the African American past in New England, such as the David Ruggles Center in Florence, MA, and the Upper Housatonic Valley African American Trail in MA and CT.