Sankofa Walking Tour: Meet Jack Stains, a “Black Jack” in Historic Old Portsmouth: A Living History Tour

Join producers Nancy & Brian Vawter and BHTNH Director JerriAnne Boggis for a lively and insightful dialogue after each screening. This documentary focuses on the efforts of two dedicated historic preservationists and activists, Valerie Cunningham (co-author of Black Portsmouth: Three Centuries of African American Heritage) of Portsmouth and JerriAnne Boggis of Milford, to recover the stories of people who have been rendered nearly invisible in the historical record, from individuals laid to rest at the African Burying Ground in Portsmouth…

On Friday March 30th at 1:30 p.m., a Pilgrimage of 14 Stations of the Cross will be a tour led by the Black Heritage Trail of NH (BHTNH). The tour begins at the “puddledock” area of Portsmouth Harbor, where the story of African slavery began in New Hampshire, and ends at the African American Burying Ground Memorial. All are welcome to participate in the tour. The tour meets at the flagpole on Marcy Street, across from Strawbery Banke next to…

Join producers Nancy & Brian Vawter and BHTNH Director JerriAnne Boggis for a lively and insightful dialogue after each screening. Rescheduled from March 7th. Join SURJ members and Atlantic Media for a viewing of the powerful local documentary Shadows Fall North. This documentary focuses on the efforts of two dedicated historic preservationists and activists, Valerie Cunningham (co-author of Black Portsmouth: Three Centuries of African American Heritage) of Portsmouth and JerriAnne Boggis of Milford, to recover the stories of people who…

Stories and Myths of the Underground Railroad in Portsmouth Tour Guide & Sankofa Scholar: Angela Matthews Few institutions from Black American history attract contemporary attention more than the Underground Railroad. Tales of white abolitionists who steered escaped men, women and children through the secretive world of special codes, false walls and hide-outs have sometimes distorted historical accuracy. Tour Guide & Sankofa Scholar Angela Matthews Note: Advance registration: This tour is part of the 2018 Spring Symposium

Myth, Reality & Mapping the Underground Railroad An Interactive Workshop & Panel Discussion Few historic institutions from the black past have attracted contemporary attention more than the Underground Railroad. Tales of white abolitionists who steered escaped enslaved men, women and children through the secretive world of special codes, false walls and hide-outs in attics, barns and cellars, have sometimes distorted historical facts. READ MORE COST $35 TOUR & SYMPOSIUM (includes lunch) $25 SYMPOSIUM ONLY (includes lunch) $20 TOUR ONLY REGISTER…

Tour Guide & Sankofa Scholar: Nur Shoop Colonial Portsmouth newspapers 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 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. Register Online

Tour Guide & Sankofa Scholar: Tammi Traux 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. 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 visit…

This informative overview of the Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail is just right for a first visit to the city or for those who prefer an alternative to a walking tour. Our well-trained and experienced Sankofa Scholars narrate an hour and a half tour of sites that tell the stories of Black people from the time they arrived on the colonial-era wharves lining the waterfront, to laboring in the local maritime-related industries, until New Hampshire joined the Union by adopting the…

Special Memorial Day Guided Tour Tour Guide & Sankofa Scholar: Valerie Cunningham & Jubilee Byfield NOTE: A vehicle is required for this event. (Meet at Christ Episcopal Church parking lot, 1035 Lafayette Road, Portsmouth) 2:00 PM, African Burying Ground at Langdon Farm. Place floral tributes at cemetery wall 2:45 PM, Old North Cemetery. Place floral tributes at cemetery wall (Maplewood Ave. near North Mill Pond) 3:30 PM, African Burying Ground Memorial at Chestnut Street Visit the gravesites of enslaved Africans…

Tour Guide & Sankofa Scholar: Kevin Wade Mitchel as Jack Staines Seafaring was one of the most significant occupations among both enslaved and free Black men between 1740 and 1865. Black seamen sailed on whalers, warships, and privateers. Some were enslaved and forced to work at sea, but by 1800 most seamen were free to seek adventure and economic opportunity aboard ship. On this tour you will meet Jack Staines, husband to Ona Judge Staines, the President and Martha Washington’s…