Black Heritage Trail of NH

"Freedom Was Her North Star. Let’s Make Her Legacy Visible."

In 1796, Ona Judge made a courageous decision that defied the most powerful man in America. Enslaved by George and Martha Washington, she risked everything to escape and claim her freedom—ultimately finding refuge in New Hampshire. Though relentlessly pursued, she refused to return to bondage.

Her story, like so many others, has been neglected, silenced, or erased.

This NH Gives, you can help change that.

Support the Black Heritage Trail and the Ona Judge Mural Project.

We are raising $35,000 to fund a public mural honoring Ona Judge at 222 Court Street in Portsmouth and to support the statewide telling of New Hampshire's Black history.  Thanks to a generous donor, every gift will be leveraged dollar-for-dollar by a gift from the Thomas Haas Fund held at the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. 

But this is more than just a mural.

It will be a powerful part of our Augmented Reality (AR) initiative—a first-of-its-kind outdoor interactive museum. Using their phones, visitors will be able to experience Ona’s journey through immersive storytelling, animation, and historical insight—bringing her voice vividly into the present.

Your support will help us amplify the legacy of Ona Judge and ensure her story—and others like hers—is never forgotten.


Let’s paint the truth. Let’s build the future.

The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire works to visibly honor and celebrate a truer more inclusive state’s history through exhibits, programs and tours that can change the way our country understands human dignity when it is free of historical stereotypes.  We invite individuals, foundations, corporations, and other organizations to discover how you can be part of this historic endeavor in exploration, interpreting and sharing of New Hampshire’s African-American history.