2026 Portsmouth Guided Walking Tours

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Sonya Arroyo

On this special Ona Judge Day Tour, you will hear the true story of a young woman's quest for freedom. See the waterfront where Ona landed and visit the Portsmouth properties of some of America's most famous families - the Langdons, Warners, and Lears - whose stories are also bound to her incredible journey.

In 2022, New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu signed a bill that declared May 21 st to be Ona Judge Day. The declaration honors that day in 1796 on which Ona Maria Judge Staines left the residence of President George and Martha Washington in Philadelphia, boarded a ship to Portsmouth, and lived a long and dignified life in New Hampshire, free, but a fugitive.

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

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Sonya Arroyo

This powerful walking 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 escaped from the Washingtons’ executive mansion in Philadelphia with help from the city’s free Black community and journeyed north to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where she would build a new life while living under the constant threat of capture.

As you walk through Portsmouth’s historic streets and waterfront, 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, including the Langdons, Whipples, and Lears—families whose histories were deeply intertwined with her own.

Along the way, you’ll uncover the relentless efforts by President Washington to recapture Ona and explore the networks of resistance, courage, and community that helped sustain her freedom.

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

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

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.

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.

Sankofa Scholars & Tour Guides: Barbara Rimkunas & Barbara Ward
Towns: Portsmouth, Newmarket & Exeter, NH
Bus Tour Cost: $55

Join the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire, in partnership with the Independence Museum and the Exeter Historical Society, for a moving, immersive exploration of New Hampshire’s Black Revolutionary War history.

The morning begins in Portsmouth with an opening ceremony and a musket salute, grounding us in the revolutionary moment when ideas of liberty and independence were proclaimed—but not yet extended to all. From there, participants will board a guided bus tour that traces the lives and legacies of Black patriots, including Prince Whipple of Portsmouth, Wentworth Cheswell of Newmarket, and E. Jude Hall of Exeter.

Guests will also visit the American Independence Museum for lunch and a special exhibition exploring New Hampshire’s role in the struggle for independence—while reflecting on whose freedom was won, and whose remained unfinished.

Meeting Place: Goodwin Park, Portsmouth, NH, at 10:00 AM

** This tour is part of the 2026 Juneteenth Celebrations and is limited to 30 people. **

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

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Nur Shoop

Journey into the world of Black travelers who navigated a segregated America, where every journey required courage, strategy, and community. This walking tour explores the Portsmouth sites that offered safety and welcome at a time when racial discrimination in the North often barred African Americans from hotels, restaurants, and public spaces.

Inspired by the Green Book, you’ll discover how travelers relied on networks of Black-owned businesses, private homes, and church communities to move without fear of humiliation or harm.

But the guidebook tells only part of the story. As you walk through the city, you’ll uncover the lives behind the listings—the people who opened their doors, the quiet acts of resistance, and the connections that made travel a joy.

You’ll also learn how these spaces supported civil rights organizing—and how many disappeared after 1964—leaving stories that continue to shape our understanding of belonging and access today.

This is a journey into the hidden networks of resilience that enabled freedom of movement.

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

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.

Sankofa Tour Guide: Stanford Cross

What did freedom mean to those who were denied it at the very moment a nation declared its independence?

This powerful walking tour brings to life the story of Prince Whipple—an enslaved African who became one of Portsmouth’s most influential Black leaders.

Through immersive storytelling, you’ll hear about Prince’s role in the fight for freedom, from the bold signing of the 1779 Petition of Freedom to his service in the New Hampshire militia during the Revolutionary War. Along the way, you’ll gain insight into the contradictions of a nation debating liberty even as slavery remained deeply woven into daily life.

As the tour moves through Portsmouth’s historic streets, you’ll visit his family home and the Ladies African Charitable Society School, founded by his wife Dinah to educate Black children and strengthen the community.

You will also discover a lesser-known side of Prince Whipple as a respected organizer and event manager whose influence extended into Portsmouth's social and civic life.

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

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.

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 

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.

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Sonya Arroyo

This powerful walking 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 escaped from the Washingtons’ executive mansion in Philadelphia with help from the city’s free Black community and journeyed north to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where she would build a new life while living under the constant threat of capture.

As you walk through Portsmouth’s historic streets and waterfront, 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, including the Langdons, Whipples, and Lears—families whose histories were deeply intertwined with her own.

Along the way, you’ll uncover the relentless efforts by President Washington to recapture Ona and explore the networks of resistance, courage, and community that helped sustain her freedom.

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

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.

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Garrett Walker

Step onto Portsmouth’s waterfront and into the world of Black mariners who found both opportunity and uncertainty on the open sea.

Between 1740 and 1865, seafaring offered one of the few paths to independence for Black men, both enslaved and free. Some were forced into labor aboard ships, while others seized the chance to earn wages, travel the world, and claim a measure of freedom beyond the constraints of life on land.

On this immersive walking tour, you’ll encounter the story of Jack Staines, a Black mariner whose life intersected with one of the most remarkable freedom stories in American history—his wife, Ona Judge Staines, who escaped enslavement by George and Martha Washington.

As you move through Portsmouth’s historic streets and along its waterfront, you’ll experience the city through the eyes of those who lived between land and sea, navigating danger, opportunity, and the constant question of freedom. This is a story of risk, resilience, and the search for independence in a world that offered few safe harbors.

Join the tour and discover how the sea shaped the lives of Portsmouth’s Black mariners.

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

Sankofa Tour Guide: Stanford Cross

What did freedom mean to those who were denied it at the very moment a nation declared its independence?

This powerful walking tour brings to life the story of Prince Whipple—an enslaved African who became one of Portsmouth’s most influential Black leaders.

Through immersive storytelling, you’ll hear about Prince’s role in the fight for freedom, from the bold signing of the 1779 Petition of Freedom to his service in the New Hampshire militia during the Revolutionary War. Along the way, you’ll gain insight into the contradictions of a nation debating liberty even as slavery remained deeply woven into daily life.

As the tour moves through Portsmouth’s historic streets, you’ll visit his family home and the Ladies African Charitable Society School, founded by his wife Dinah to educate Black children and strengthen the community.

You will also discover a lesser-known side of Prince Whipple as a respected organizer and event manager whose influence extended into Portsmouth's social and civic life.

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

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.

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Garrett Walker

Step onto Portsmouth’s waterfront and into the world of Black mariners who found both opportunity and uncertainty on the open sea.

Between 1740 and 1865, seafaring offered one of the few paths to independence for Black men, both enslaved and free. Some were forced into labor aboard ships, while others seized the chance to earn wages, travel the world, and claim a measure of freedom beyond the constraints of life on land.

On this immersive walking tour, you’ll encounter the story of Jack Staines, a Black mariner whose life intersected with one of the most remarkable freedom stories in American history—his wife, Ona Judge Staines, who escaped enslavement by George and Martha Washington.

As you move through Portsmouth’s historic streets and along its waterfront, you’ll experience the city through the eyes of those who lived between land and sea, navigating danger, opportunity, and the constant question of freedom. This is a story of risk, resilience, and the search for independence in a world that offered few safe harbors.

Join the tour and discover how the sea shaped the lives of Portsmouth’s Black mariners.

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

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Sonya Arroyo

This powerful walking 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 escaped from the Washingtons’ executive mansion in Philadelphia with help from the city’s free Black community and journeyed north to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where she would build a new life while living under the constant threat of capture.

As you walk through Portsmouth’s historic streets and waterfront, 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, including the Langdons, Whipples, and Lears—families whose histories were deeply intertwined with her own.

Along the way, you’ll uncover the relentless efforts by President Washington to recapture Ona and explore the networks of resistance, courage, and community that helped sustain her freedom.

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

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 

Sankofa Scholar & Tour Guide: Sonya Arroyo

This powerful walking 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 escaped from the Washingtons’ executive mansion in Philadelphia with help from the city’s free Black community and journeyed north to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where she would build a new life while living under the constant threat of capture.

As you walk through Portsmouth’s historic streets and waterfront, 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, including the Langdons, Whipples, and Lears—families whose histories were deeply intertwined with her own.

Along the way, you’ll uncover the relentless efforts by President Washington to recapture Ona and explore the networks of resistance, courage, and community that helped sustain her freedom.

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

Sankofa Tour Guide: Stanford Cross

What did freedom mean to those who were denied it at the very moment a nation declared its independence?

This powerful walking tour brings to life the story of Prince Whipple—an enslaved African who became one of Portsmouth’s most influential Black leaders.

Through immersive storytelling, you’ll hear about Prince’s role in the fight for freedom, from the bold signing of the 1779 Petition of Freedom to his service in the New Hampshire militia during the Revolutionary War. Along the way, you’ll gain insight into the contradictions of a nation debating liberty even as slavery remained deeply woven into daily life.

As the tour moves through Portsmouth’s historic streets, you’ll visit his family home and the Ladies African Charitable Society School, founded by his wife Dinah to educate Black children and strengthen the community.

You will also discover a lesser-known side of Prince Whipple as a respected organizer and event manager whose influence extended into Portsmouth's social and civic life.

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

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.

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 

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