Frederick Douglass Avenue & Bust

Nature has found a way to unite and bring balance, peace and spirituality.

Frederick Douglass was a leader in the abolitionist movement who affirmed, “We are one, our cause is one, and we must help each other if we are to succeed.” A man who mirrored the very tenacity of the surrounding nature, Douglass found himself rooted within the branches of a sycamore tree in Brockton, MA.

A Liberty Tree that stood at the High Street Underground Railroad site was taken down in 2004 due to illness that left it deceased. With this loss, came a great rebirth, as shortly after the road was renamed Frederick Douglass Avenue in honor of the great American reformer, a new sapling grew from the roots.

The tree’s saplings created a legacy, as their continued growth after the removal of the main tree inspired the community to come together and create the Frederick Douglass Neighborhood Association and Garden. They continue to create a greatness that takes place in the studying and reflecting of Douglass’s work to bring continued beauty in unity.

A short walk away from the garden is a fenced in patch that features two monuments. The first one reads, “Famous Historic Site. Under this old sycamore tree were held many meetings to help free the slaves. Also it was a station of the Underground Railway. People of historical fame who once visited here were: William Lloyd Garrison, Wendell Phillips, Parker Pillsbury, Amelia Bloomer, Dr. Mary Walker, Lucy Stone, Lucretia Mott, Henry B. Blackwell, Fred Douglass, ‘Topsy of Uncle Tom’s Cabin Fame’. This tablet is the gift of the class of 1959 — Brockton High School.