Building Community, Honoring History

Pictured: African Burying Ground Memorial Park in Portsmouth, NH

Using New Hampshire's History to Connect Communities

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.

Pre-order Joy Reid's book

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.

Jodi Picoult New York Times best-selling author, Frommers’ Best Places 2021: Great Authors on Our America

Programs

More Than Just a Trail

View All Events

Upcoming Events

View Full Calendar

October 31, 2026

Ain't She A Woman: Let Me Tell You Her Story

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Valerie Fagin

Can you imagine the hustle and bustle of a prosperous colonial seaport town?

Step into that world on this engaging walking tour that centers on the lives of African-born and African American women who shaped Portsmouth across generations.

Through powerful storytelling, you’ll encounter women who, despite enslavement and systemic racism, fought for justice, defied a sitting U.S. president, and educated generations of children—leaving a lasting mark on this community.

Walk the streets where their lives unfolded, hear their stories, and celebrate the resilience, courage, and determination revealed in our shared seacoast his/herstory.

Join the tour and experience the stories of women who helped shape Portsmouth

Meeting Place: BHTNH Headquarters | 222 Court Street, Portsmouth, NH.

November 1, 2026

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

November 11, 2026

War and Belonging: Black Soldiers of Portsmouth

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Bob Sheppard

Join Sankofa Scholar Bob Sheppard, son of a Tuskegee Airman, for a powerful new walking tour exploring the legacy of Black military service from the Revolutionary War to the Vietnam War era.

Walk the streets of Portsmouth as you uncover the story of Prince Whipple, who fought for freedom during the American Revolution; hear about the imprisonment of Harvey and Daniels at the Navy Yard during the Vietnam War; and learn about Rosary Cooper’s vital contributions on the home front during World War II.

Led by a guide with a personal legacy of military service, this story-driven tour invites you to reflect on the meaning of service, sacrifice, and belonging.

Be among the first to experience this new tour—reserve your spot today.

Meeting Place: BHTNH Headquarters, 222 Court St, Portsmouth, NH