Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail: A Self-Guided Walking Tour of Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Portsmouth, New Hampshire, has been home to Africans and African-Americans for more than 350 years -- almost to the arrival of the first Europeans. Upon examination of their stories, we find that against the odds of early enslavement and subsequent marginalization, Africans and their descendants built communities and families, founded institutions, ran businesses, and served their town, state, and nation in many capacities. As New Hampshire's only port, much of the history available centers on the state's Piscataqua River area. As many as 700 Blacks were here at the time of the American Revolution -- many were caught up in an active Northern slave market while others were part of a little-known free society.The first known Black person came to Portsmouth from the west coast of Africa in 1645. He was captured when slave merchants attacked his village in Guinea. Upon arrival in Boston, he was bought as a slave by Mr. Williams "of Piscataqua." Surveys of wills and inventories show that slaves were included in the estates of several prominent Portsmouth families, including signer of the Declaration of Independence, Brigadier General William Whipple and Governor John Langdon. The Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail includes numerous sites in Portsmouth -- from the docks where merchants engaged in the trans-Atlantic slave trade unloaded their cargo -- to the houses where they served and the graves where they were laid to rest. The self-guided tour includes the African Burying Ground Memorial Park on Chestnut Street in Portsmouth. Designed by artist Jerome Meadows, of Savannah, Georgia, the Park stands as a memorial to the African Americans -- both enslaved and free -- who helped to build this great country in the New World -- a number of whom were buried and forgotten in unmarked graves underneath the present-day street.The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire endeavors to connect stories of New Hampshire's African heritage by documenting and making visible historic sites that testify to this rich history. As we celebrate a people's history of resilience, versatility and courage, we invite everyone to explore for themselves what our shared history means and bring that understanding into the present. -- JerriAnne Boggis, Executive Director, Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire, and Valerie Cunningham, Founding Member, Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail