Dorsey-Jones House - Florence, MA - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

The Dorsey-Jones House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places because of its historically significance. It was owned by three fugitive slaves and became an important stop on the Underground Railroad.

The land for the building was acquired by Basil Dorsey who build the residence at 191 Nonotuck Street in 1849. Dorsey (ca. 1810-72) escaped from Maryland to New York with the assistance of Robert Purvis, a prominent black abolitionists and Joshua Leavitt, the western Massachusetts resident who edited the abolitionist newspaper The Emancipator. Dorsey found refuge in the Northampton Association of Education and Industry, a Utopian community in Florence, MA with the help of David Ruggles.

Thomas H. Jones (1806-90) was a slave living in Wilmington, NC. He escaped to the north in 1849. In 1854 moved to Florence, MA with his freed wife Mary Jones and obtained the former home of Basil Dorsey.

The Dorsey-Jones House is uncommon and important because it was built by one fugitive slave and occupied by two others, inside a community dedicated to racial equality. Both Dorsey and Jones used the house to help transport of fugitive slaves via the Underground Railroad.

Street address: 141 Nonotuck Street Florence, MA United States County / Borough / Parish: Hampshire Year listed: 2005 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Ethnic Heritage - Black; Social History Periods of significance: 1825-1849; 1850-1874 Historic function: Single dwelling Current function: Single dwelling Privately owned?: yes Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Secondary Website 2: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   01/18/2023 nomadwillie visited it