(Norwich, CT) – The Norwich Historical Society and the Norwich Branch NAACP are hosting
a walking tour of the Norwich Freedom Trail on Thursday, April 20, 2023 from 10:30 a.m. to
12:00 noon, as part of Otis Library’s Harris Sisters Month celebration.
 
During the nineteenth century, the City of Norwich was home to a vibrant abolitionist
movement. Residents such as David Ruggles, played an active role in the Underground Railroad,
and the Harris sisters attended Prudence Crandall’s controversial “Young Ladies and Little
Misses of Color” school in Canterbury, CT. The tour will also feature the stories of colonial era
blacksmith, Guy Drock, who earned his freedom, and freedom seeker, James L. Smith, who
settled in Norwich in the 1840s and established himself as a shoemaker, minister, and author of
his Autobiography.

Please join us as we explore the rich history of the Jail Hill National Register Historic District.
This tour will be co-led by the Norwich Historical Society and the Norwich Branch NAACP.
Please note this walk takes place along the sidewalks in Downtown Norwich, starting from City
Hall and up Church Street, which has a steep hill, although much of the walk is relatively flat and
crosses Water Street to the Market Street Garage. Parking is available there and at City Hall
Garage. The tour will last 1 ½ hours, and is approximately 1.5 miles. There is no charge for this
event.

For more information visit: https://www.norwichhistoricalsociety.org/event/norwich-freedom-trail/