Juneteenth Heritage Walk

The Juneteenth Heritage Walking Tour is a unique, first-time collaboration between Ancestral Bridges and the Amherst Historical Society Museum to celebrate Juneteenth and local Black history in Amherst, Massachusetts.

This walking tour explores the history and contributions of multiple generations of Black families in the town of Amherst. Curated by the families’ descendants, this immersive storytelling walk through Amherst’s town center features special exhibits at the Amherst History Museum with artwork and images that bring to life the town’s Black neighborhoods and communities from the mid-18th century and on.

The tour begins in West Cemetery where soldiers of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment and of the 5th Cavalry, who alerted Texas residents that the Civil War and slavery had ended, are buried.

Along the way, visitors stop at The Emily Dickinson Museum where stories of Charles Thompson and other Black residents familiar with the Dickinson Family are featured. Two other stops include Hope Church, the first Black church in Amherst, and Goodwin Memorial AME Zion Church, the cultural and religious lives of Black Amherst residents are highlighted.

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