Hill Ross Guest Suite on Historic Homestead

Welcome to our charming 2-bedroom in the heart of Florence! Nestled just a short 17-minute drive from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a 6-minute drive from the renowned Smith College, this cozy retreat offers the perfect blend of convenience and tranquility. As a guest, you'll be delighted by the wealth of traveler favorites, including high-speed WiFi and a convenient washer and dryer. Step into the fully stocked kitchen, where you can whip up delectable meals on the stove and oven, chill your drinks in the refrigerator, and enjoy al fresco dining on the grill. Savor your morning coffee with the provided coffee maker, kettle, and grinder, or blend up a refreshing smoothie in the blender. You'll have the Guest Suite at The Historic Hill-Ross Homestead with private entrance all to yourself. Guest Suite is the renovated carriage house ell off the main farmhouse which houses 2 bedrooms, 1 kitchen, 1 living room and 1 bathroom including your own private patio. One bedroom has a queen bed and second bedroom has a full bed and a single bunk bed. Hill Ross Homestead is a short, 5 minute walk into downtown Florence. Two parking spots are reserved for this unit that are conveniently located right in front of the unit. There is a 3 stair tread climb up to enter the unit and it is not wheelchair friendly. There are other tenants who share this 2+ acre property and we ask all our guests to be courteous of one another while enjoying its peaceful, park-like setting along the Mill River. The historic Hill-Ross Farm is listed on the National Historic Registry for being a stop along the Underground Railroad, along with other attributes. Hill-Ross Homestead features a 19th-century farmhouse - the home for two important figures in the abolitionist movement, Samuel Lapham Hill and Austin Ross. Samuel Hill purchased the farm in 1841 from the Northampton Silk Company. In 1842, Hill and others founded the Northampton Association of Education and Industry, an organization with strong abolitionist views. The Association chose to locate in the Broughton’s Meadow (now Florence) section of Northampton due to the community’s thriving silk industry. Free laborers, rather than enslaved workers, produced silk, increasing the industry’s popularity among abolitionists. The Association’s property, including the Hill-Ross Farm, provided a store, school, common eating area and living space for its members. Because of the strong presence of the Association and silk manufacturers, Northampton became a haven for African Americans and abolitionists. Northampton proper often served as a stop for fugitive slaves traveling to Canada, and Association members encouraged fugitives’ permanent settlement.