We are blessed in this town of Amherst to have at leat two sites where veterans of the Civil War are honored. One such place is Amherst's Town Hall, where the names of members of the 54th Massachusetts Colored Regiment, the 55th and the 5th are etched into history. Though segregated at the time, the second location: West Cemetery, has had the remarkable charge of ensuring that the burial plots of these men of honor continue to be respected.

Though our current focus is on those who served in this war for Southern Independence, our hope is to add to the story in the near future. Until then, an AMAZING book which shares how Blacks fought as proxy for prominent white men in the community is James Avery Smith's The History of the Black Population of Amherst, Massachusetts 1728 - 1870.  Another great book, which include accounts of the Native Indian Tribes indigenous to this area is: The History of the Town of Amherst Massachusetts, 1731 - 1896, COMPILED AND PUBLISHED BY CARPENTER & MOREHOUSE (1896). 

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