Not a Slave, yet not Free: Harriet E. Wilson and the Abolition Movement

Not a Slave, yet not Free: Harriet E. Wilson and the Abolition Movement

Tour Guide: David Nelson Harriet E. Wilson was the first African American of any gender to publish a novel on the North American continent. Her novel Our Nig, or Sketches from the Life of a Free Black was published in 1859. Born a free person of color in New Hampshire, Wilson was orphaned when young and bound until the age of 18 as an indentured servant. She struggled to make a living after that, marrying twice; her only son George…

Exploring Hancock’s Black History: A Hike to Jack’s Pond

 Tour Guide: Eric Aldrich Nestled below the summits of Mount Skatutakee and Thumb Mountain in Hancock, N.H., Jack's Pond is a remote and inspiring place. It is named after Jack, a formerly enslaved man who became free and lived near the pond between the late 1700s until his death in 1826. The pond and surrounding land is now protected and managed by the Harris Center for Conservation Education. Join Eric Aldrich and Susie Spikol of the Harris Center for a…

A Quest to Thrive: Economics of Slavery & Portsmouth’s Early Black Community

Black Heritage Trail of NH 222 Court Street, Portsmouth, NH, United States

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Angela Matthews Institutionalized slavery in Colonial America provided immense wealth and material culture to many European immigrants and their descendants in the Americas, as Portsmouth’s house museums bear witness. This tour brings into focus an economic system dependent upon the international slave trade with its constant supply of kidnapped unpaid African workers and their descendants, who, against the odds, created one of this country’s oldest Black communities.

Thirst for Freedom: From NH’s Slave Trade to its Civil Rights Movement

Black Heritage Trail of NH 222 Court Street, Portsmouth, NH, United States

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Nur Shoop Colonial Portsmouth newspapers would testify to the local slave trade, runaways, abolitionists, and anti-abolitionist activities, followed by conflicting opinions of the Civil War. In the 20th century, the legacy of that early history was reflected in the news about de facto segregation in housing and public places. This tour includes many of those historic landmarks from the early nineteenth through the twentieth centuries.

Not a Slave, yet not Free: Harriet E. Wilson and the Abolition Movement

Tour Guide: David Nelson Harriet E. Wilson was the first African American of any gender to publish a novel on the North American continent. Her novel Our Nig, or Sketches from the Life of a Free Black was published in 1859. Born a free person of color in New Hampshire, Wilson was orphaned when young and bound until the age of 18 as an indentured servant. She struggled to make a living after that, marrying twice; her only son George…

Lives Bound Together: The Washingtons & Ona Marie Judge in NH

Black Heritage Trail of NH 222 Court Street, Portsmouth, NH, United States

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Sonya Martino During the Spring of 1796, George Washington’s final months in office, Ona Judge, an enslaved woman owned by the First Family, escaped the Executive Mansion in Philadelphia with the aid of that city’s free Black community and made her way to Portsmouth, NH. On this tour, you will hear the true story of Ona’s quest for freedom and the President’s relentless efforts to get her back. See the waterfront where she lands and…

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

Black Heritage Trail of NH 222 Court Street, Portsmouth, NH, United States

Sankofa Tour Guide: Valerie Fagin Can you imagine the hustle and bustle of a prosperous colonial seaport town? This tour invites you to discover the world of early Portsmouth from the perspective of African American women. In spite of enslavement and hardship, these women fought for freedom, defied a sitting president, and educated generations of children to follow. Hear their stories about love and faith and struggle, as you walk past the homes of the families who enslaved them.

A Walking Tour of Exeter’s Racial History

Exeter Town Hall 10 Front Street, Exeter, NH, United States

Tour Guide: Barbara Rimkunas Walk in the footsteps of Exeter’s earlier generations and explore the racial history of the town—the conflicts, concessions, and changes that have taken place over time. This tour will explore how racial identity has shaped Exeter’s history and will serve to open a dialogue that will help shape its future. Meeting place: Exeter Town Hall, Front Street

Only On Saturdays: Making Black Family Life in Portsmouth

Black Heritage Trail of NH 222 Court Street, Portsmouth, NH, United States

Sankofa Tour Guide: Daniel Comly Despite a horde of obstacles, Black men and women, both enslaved and free, met, established relationships, married, and built families. Learn about these obstacles and how they were overcome. True stories about these families will describe how members of the African community claimed their place as Americans.

Prince Whipple and the 1779 Petition

Black Heritage Trail of NH 222 Court Street, Portsmouth, NH, United States

Sankofa Tour Guide: Lyonel Loveless, Stanford Cross This tour will provide visitors with a closer look at Prince Whipple and the men who joined him in signing the Petition of Freedom as well as Prince Whipple’s first-hand knowledge of the debates for Independence and in the NH militia. The tour highlights sites of significance to his life after he regained his freedom including the sites of the house where he and his wife Dinah lived and where Dinah established the…

Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire

The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire promotes awareness and appreciation of African American history and life in order to build more inclusive communities today.

Contact Info

Mail: 222 Court Street, Portsmouth NH 03801
Phone: 603-570-8469
Email: info@blackheritagetrailnh.org
COVID 19 waiver
Office Hours:
M - F 10 - 4 pm

Sign up for BHTNH Mail
Get updates on what's happening at the BHTNH, from exhibits and tours to programs and special events.
* = required field
Centrus Digital