About Us
The stories we haven’t heard shape the connections we’re missing. Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire brings those stories to life, helping us uncover a more complete and truthful history. From walking tours led by our expert Sankofa Scholars to interactive events and self-guided explorations, every experience inspires understanding, belonging, and action. Join us in creating bonds of understanding for stronger, more inclusive communities.
Upcoming Events
Thirst for Freedom: From NH's Slave Trade to Its Civil Rights Movement
Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Nur Shoop
Walk the streets of Portsmouth and trace the powerful connections between past and present on a journey spanning more than three centuries.
Led by Sankofa Scholar Nur Shoop, this walking tour brings historic landmarks to life—from the early 1600s to the twentieth century—revealing how local stories are deeply connected to national and global movements for freedom and justice.
Drawing on colonial newspapers and firsthand accounts, you’ll uncover Portsmouth’s role in the Atlantic slave trade, the courageous actions of runaway freedom-seekers, and the fierce debates between abolitionists and their opponents. As the story unfolds, you’ll see how these tensions carried into the Civil War and beyond.
The tour continues into the twentieth century, when the legacy of this history shaped ongoing struggles for equality, as reflected in efforts to end segregation in housing, employment, and public life right here in Portsmouth.
This is more than a look at the past; it is an opportunity to understand how history lives on in the present.
Meeting place: BHTNH Headquarters, 222 Court St, Portsmouth, NH
Black Family Life: Building Community in Bondage and in Freedom
Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Daniel Comly
Join Daniel Comly for a moving walking tour that reveals the deeply human stories of love, family, and resilience in early Portsmouth.
Guided through careful research and a commitment to sharing histories beyond his own lived experience, Daniel brings forward the voices and lives of Black families who, in a time marked by enslavement, separation, and uncertainty, formed relationships, married, raised children, and built strong communities.
As you walk through the streets where their lives unfolded, you'll hear powerful, true stories of connection and courage—stories of families who refused to be defined by the limits placed on them and instead claimed their place, their dignity, and their future.
Through storytelling and conversation, this tour invites you to reflect on what it means to build a home, sustain love, and fight to belong
Meeting Place: BHTNH Headquarters | 222 Court Street, Portsmouth, NH.
Lives Bound Together: The Washingtons & Ona Marie Judge in NH
Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Sonya Arroyo
This tour follows the extraordinary story of Ona Marie Judge, a young woman enslaved by George and Martha Washington who made the courageous decision to free herself rather than remain in bondage to America’s First Family.
In the spring of 1796, Ona left the Washingtons’ executive mansion in Philadelphia with help from the city’s free Black community. She journeyed north to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where she would build a new life amid the constant threat of capture.
As you walk through Portsmouth’s historic streets, you’ll trace Ona’s path to freedom, beginning at the harbor where she arrived and continuing through the neighborhoods and homes connected to some of the nation’s most prominent families.
Along the way, you will learn about the President's relentless efforts to capture her, and explore the networks of resistance, courage, and community that helped sustain her freedom.
Meeting Place: BHTNH Headquarters | 222 Court Street, Portsmouth, NH.
Tours
Tour Historic Sites
Sankofa Scholar Guided Walking Tours
Discover the real, unbiased history with one of our signature guided tours conducted by a well-trained, experienced guide.
Self-Guided Tours
Take a self-guided audio tour to learn about Portsmouth’s Black heritage, right on your phone.
Expanded Walking Tours
Expanded walking tours extend beyond Portsmouth to historic locations across New England.
Virtual Tours
Experience New Hampshire's Black history from the comfort of your home.
Private Tours
Looking for a more personalized experience? Request a guided tour for your group.
Programs
More Than Just a Trail
Black New England Conference
Juneteenth Celebration
Elinor Williams Hooker Tea Talks Series
Frederick Douglas Statewide Readings
The Black Matter is Life Poetry Series
Spring Symposium
Explore
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Marker Sites
Visit Black history marker sites throughout New Hampshire.
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NH Black History Stories
Read about little known historic figures from New Hampshire's African American community.
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Educational Resources
Engage with materials for educators, students, and families to facilitate learning about Black history.
Sobering and eye-opening, the Black Heritage Trail forces us to question those we have traditionally considered heroes, and to elevate those who have been marginalized instead.
Preserve Black History in New Hampshire