Frederick Douglass

William Lloyd Garrison

Harriet Beecher Stowe

Lucretia Mott

Wendell Phillips

Find Your Past On The Avenue

The Liberty Tree Historical Site and Heritage Memorial Park is the spiritual center of the On the Avenue arts & entertainment destination. Located on Frederick Douglass Avenue in Brockton, the Liberty Tree marks the site of an Underground Railroad station and is recognized as one of the most important historical sites in the city. Under the Liberty Tree, famous American abolitionists, temperance and women's rights leaders gathered and proclaimed universal human rights of freedom, justice and equality for all.

Before and after the Civil War, leaders such as Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison, Wendell Phillips, Lucy Stone, Lucretia Mott, and Harriet Beecher Stowe gathered at this site to plan and carry out activities in support of emancipation and other progressive causes. Brockton Underground Railroad 'conductors,' such as Edward Bennett and Dr. Henry Packard, risked their own freedom with selfless acts to protect and aid the resourceful and heroic runaway slaves. These freedom seekers were determined Black men and women who braved forces of nature and the hostility of slave catchers, kidnappers and bounty hunters during their daring escapes to freedom.

The Liberty Tree also was the site of political gatherings and social movements during the 19th and 20th centuries. In the 1930s, it is rumored that Brockton children assembled at the Liberty Tree to form the Shoe Shine Boys Strike, a group protesting low wages. During several labor strikes during the 1920s, shoe industry workers gathered in protest of unfair working conditions. Thus, the Liberty Tree has served Brockton as a forum for public debate and a meeting place for open discussion of differences and conflict resolution.

Today, this cherished site, hallowed by the sacrifice of Americans of all stripes, continues its legacy as the symbol of multicultural sharing and social tolerance. As the centerpiece of our heritage tourism destination, the heart of the project is the Liberty Tree Heritage Memorial Park and the African American History & Culture Museum of Brockton. Combined with the art and entertainment venues and the hospitality offerings of the historic Hotel Grayson (featuring African American Literary heroes), On the Avenue fulfills its promise of fantasy, "edutainment" and family fun, all in one convenient, friendly and vibrant setting.

Tourist and family reunion packages available.

Visit us once, and experience what attention to detail means!

Experience the fantasy…
Experience the history…
Experience the hospitality…

On the Avenue!!!