Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire

What Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire does

The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire (BHTNH) is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered at 222 Court Street in Portsmouth, NH, that preserves and interprets more than 300 years of African American history across New Hampshire. The organization originated as the Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail and expanded statewide in 2017, now operating programs in Portsmouth, Warner, Milford, Concord, Manchester, and Nashua. Its core offerings include Sankofa Scholar-guided walking tours, self-guided audio tours, virtual tours, private group tours, and signature annual events such as the Black New England Conference (held since 2006 at Southern New Hampshire University), the Juneteenth Celebration (marking the 10th anniversary of the African Burying Ground Memorial in 2025), the Elinor Williams Hooker Tea Talk Series, Frederick Douglass Statewide Readings, a poetry series, and a spring symposium. The organization also maintains a resource library, NH Black History Marker Sites, oral history exhibits, and a gift shop.

BHTNH serves a diverse customer base spanning individual tourists, K-12 schools and educators, academics and scholars, and community organizations. Revenue is generated through a mix of individual donations, tour fees, gift shop sales, event and conference registration, and grants from sources including the National Endowment for the Humanities, New Hampshire Humanities, and the American Historical Association. Marketing and distribution rely on the organization's website, email newsletter, Facebook and YouTube live streams, earned media coverage in regional outlets, and community events; virtual programming extends reach beyond New Hampshire.

The organization's technology footprint is minimal and oriented around content delivery rather than proprietary systems: a website, mobile-accessible self-guided audio tours, and social media live streaming. Its competitive position rests on exclusive statewide narrative authority, deep institutional partnerships (Northeastern University, SNHU, Moffatt-Ladd House, NEH), a trained Sankofa Scholar guide network, and ownership of historic sites including its 222 Court Street headquarters and the African Burying Ground Memorial.

Name

Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire

Legal name

Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire, Inc

Website

https://blackheritagetrailnh.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides guided walking tours, educational programs, and signature events preserving 300+ years of African American history across New Hampshire, serving visitors, schools, and scholars.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Historical and Cultural Heritage Education

NAICS

Historical Sites (712120), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Cultural Heritage & Historic District Tours (THAJAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Historic Sites, Heritage Landmarks & Archaeological Sites (THAJACAC), Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA), Private Cultural Immersion & Heritage Experiences (Local Hosts, Traditions) (THAJALAJ)

Keywords

• Historical tours
• Cultural education
• Heritage trails
• Community events
• Nonprofit education

Headquarters

HQ city

Portsmouth

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: Individual donors contribute to support the organization's mission of preserving and sharing Black history in New Hampshire.
2. Tour Fees: Revenue generated from guided walking tours, self-guided tours, and private tour bookings.
3. Gift Shop Sales: The organization operates a gift shop at 222 Court Street selling books, merchandise, and commemorative items.
4. Event Registration: Conference and event registration fees, including the annual Black New England Conference and educational workshops.
5. Government and Foundation Grants: Funded by grants from organizations such as New Hampshire Humanities, American Historical Association, and National Endowment for the Humanities.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that offers guided historical walking tours, educational programs for schools and community groups, and public cultural events that interpret the Black history of New Hampshire. It operates a physical gift shop and hosts the annual Black New England Conference, a regional convening on Black history and culture that has run since 2006.

Product overview

The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire operates as a unified nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of educational programs and experiences centered on African American history in New Hampshire. The core offerings include guided and self-guided walking tours (Sankofa Scholar Guided Tours, Self-Guided Audio Tours, Expanded Walking Tours, Virtual Tours, and Private Tours) that bring visitors to historic sites throughout Portsmouth and across New England. Supporting these tours are signature events including the annual Black New England Conference (BNEC), Juneteenth Celebration, Elinor Williams Hooker Tea Talks Series, Frederick Douglass Statewide Readings, The Black Matter is Life Poetry Series, and Spring Symposium. The organization also maintains educational resources including NH Black History Marker Sites, NH Black History Stories, and a Resource Library with searchable database. Recent initiatives include the Ona Judge Staines Mural (public art at headquarters), the Hearing Black Portsmouth Oral History Exhibit, and the African Burying Ground Memorial partnership. The organization is expanding its footprint with new tours in 2026 including War and Belonging and Harriet E. Wilson walking tours.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Guided Historical Walking Tours Docent-led walking tours of historical sites in Portsmouth, New Hampshire that interpret the Black history of the region for visitors, tourists, and school groups.
• Black New England Conference Annual multi-day conference bringing together scholars, educators, and community members to present and discuss research on Black history and culture in New England.
• School and Community Educational Programs Structured educational programming for K-12 schools and community groups, including customized group tours and curriculum-aligned presentations on New Hampshire Black history.
• Heritage Gift Shop Physical retail space at 222 Court Street, Portsmouth, NH, selling books, merchandise, and heritage-related products related to Black history in New Hampshire.

Quantifiable outcome

• Tours and programs connect visitors to previously untold stories of Black history in New Hampshire
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2025Ongoing partnership for the annual Black New England Conference. SNHU serves as the venue host and academic partner for BNEC, which has been held annually since 2006.
• Moffatt-Ladd House & GardencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 May 2024Historic house museum partnership to present programs exploring interconnected legacies of slavery in Portsmouth. Includes joint events and educator workshops focused on New Hampshire's slavery history.
• Northeastern UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 August 2023Partnership with Northeastern University's Reckonings Project for the 17th Annual Black New England Conference. Conference held at Northeastern's Fenway Center in Boston focusing on BIPOC arts, music, and writing.
• New Hampshire HumanitiescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerGrant sponsor for the Elinor Williams Hooker Tea Talk Series. Partnership with National Endowment for the Humanities supporting free community dialogue programs on Black history.
• Black Lives MatterminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaboration on Juneteenth Dinner event as part of 2025 Juneteenth celebration programming.
• The Music HallminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVenue partner for Juneteenth concerts including Howard Gospel Choir and other musical performances celebrating African American culture.
• Temple IsraelminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner for special events including the Rosa Parks book signing and author presentation. Tikkun Olam Committee collaboration for social justice programming.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Boston African American National Historic Site (NPS): National Park Service site comprising the Black Heritage Trail on Beacon Hill with guided ranger-led tours. Overlaps with BHTNH in walking-tour heritage interpretation of Black history in Northern New England, though operated federally rather than as a private nonprofit.
• Historical New England: Regional heritage nonprofit operating 36+ historic house museums across New England with tours, school programs, and exhibits. Comparable in delivering heritage tours and K-12 educational programs across multiple New England locations, though broader in subject matter.
• Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture: National museum dedicated to African American life, history, and culture with exhibits, educational programming, and digital resources. Comparable in mission and visitor-facing interpretive programming, though vastly larger scale.

Direct peers

• Royall House and Slave Quarters: Nonprofit historic site in Medford, Massachusetts offering tours, exhibits, and school programs on the legacy of slavery in New England. Comparable to BHTNH in operating a preserved historical site with guided tours and educational programming about Northern slavery.
• Museum of African American History (Boston): Nonprofit operating the African Meeting House and Abiel Smith School on Boston's Black Heritage Trail, providing guided tours, exhibits, and educational programs on Black history in New England. Closest functional peer: heritage site operator delivering walking tours and K-12 curriculum on African American history in the same region.

Emerging players

• Facing History and Ourselves: National nonprofit providing curricula and educator professional development on racism, antisemitism, and identity in American history. Comparable as a Black-heritage-focused educational content provider serving K-12 schools and educators.
• Crispus Attucks / New England Historic Genealogical Society: Regional history and genealogy organization serving New England audiences interested in African American heritage and family history research. Comparable as an education-and-research nonprofit focused on Black New England ancestry and history.
• African American Heritage Preservation Foundation: Nonprofit organization focused on preserving African American historic sites and providing educational programming across multiple U.S. states. Comparable as a heritage-site and education nonprofit with similar mission orientation.

Others

• National Trust for Historic Preservation: National nonprofit that supports preservation of historically significant sites, including those tied to underrepresented histories. Comparable as a heritage preservation nonprofit ecosystem peer with related grant programs and advocacy work.
• New Hampshire Humanities: State humanities council that is both a programmatic funder of BHTNH and a provider of public humanities programming statewide. Comparable as a heritage/education nonprofit operating in the same funding ecosystem and geographic footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubestudio.youtube.com/channel/UCze7SOc9c__FyoLC_PBSD7Q/videos/live
• Facebookfacebook.com/BlackHeritageTrailofNewHampshire
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/blackheritagetrailnh
• Instagraminstagram.com/blackheritagetrailnh
• Xx.com/BlackHeritageNH

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire