Entrepreneurs and Philanthropists

Entrepreneurs and Philanthropists (HM18PS)

Location: Northampton, MA 01062 Hampshire County
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Country: United States of America
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N 42° 20.117', W 72° 40.4'

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Inscription
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 civic institutions of present day Florence are the result of their philanthropy. Samuel L. Hill, founder of the Nonotuck Silk Company, was among the radical abolitionists who formed a Utopian community in Florence in the 1840s. He continued to be an active reformer in retirement and a champion of the theories of Friedrich Froebel, with their emphasis on early childhood education. In 1876, he established the Hill Institute, one of the first kindergartens in the country with an endowment to provide free instruction to every child in the community

Alfred T. Lilly was brought in by Hill to become the Treasurer of the Nonotuck Silk Company and made a fortune of this own. In 1888, he built the Lilly Library for the town of Florence. A few years before he had given the money to build the Lilly Hall of Science at Smith College which was dedicated in 1886. It was Lilly who provided the endowment for evening classes and adult education at the Hill Institute.

The spirit of the abolitionist utopian community lived on in the Free Congregational Society of Florence. Organized in 1866 by Samuel Hill and 34 others, it was a freethinking religious body far outside the orthodox beliefs of mainstream denominations. Its first resident speaker was Charles C. Burleigh followed by Elizabeth Powell who later became Dean of Swarthmore College. The growth of the Society prompted Hill to finance the construction of Cosmian Hall in 1874. Its ample auditorium filled to hear speakers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Frederick Douglas and Julia Ward Howe. It was demolished in 1948.
Details
HM NumberHM18PS
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Placed ByHistoric Northampton
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Sunday, October 19th, 2014 at 11:51am PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18T E 691679 N 4689625
Decimal Degrees42.33528333, -72.67333333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 42° 20.117', W 72° 40.4'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds42° 20' 7.02" N, 72° 40' 24.00" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)413
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 67 Park St, Northampton MA 01062, US
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