Portland, Maine: Black History Guided Walking Tour

Overview

Trace the steps of the Black Portlanders who moved our city, state, and country closer to the ideals of freedom, democracy, opportunity, and equality. Maine’s earliest settlements couldn’t have existed without Black labor, skill, and insight. You'll meet the Black Yankees who founded Maine communities, overturned slavery statewide, drove our maritime industries, gained political influence, crossed color boundaries, and expanded Mainers’ rights in the modern era.

Stepping on granite cobblestones crooked with age — that once saw footfalls from national heroes like Frederick Douglass — you’ll pass storefronts once home to Black-owned barbershops where abolitionists whispered intelligence to Underground Railroad conductors.

Enjoy 2 hours of entertaining and enlightening historical narration over a 1.5-mile route. Owner and guide, Dugan Murphy, dug through the archives to present an amazing constellation of stories left out of most tours. TripAdvisor named him Portland's #1 guide!

City: Portland

Fri 20 Jun

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $49.00

Make a reservation

Fri 20 Jun

Starting at $49.00

Make a reservation

Portland Tours

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What's Included

10% off water tours with Portland Paddle (instructions at confirmation)

Two hour fully narrated guided tour.

Donation toward restoring the Abyssinian Meeting House, America's third-oldest standing Black church

Additional Info

Wheelchair accessible
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Pets are not allowed on tours unless medically required.
Portland is a hilly city. Participants will walk uphill sometimes, including a staircase of 17 steps.

What To Expect

Lobsterman Park

Discover the hidden Black history that predates slavery in Maine.

Congress Street

Be surprised by the story of a largely unknown but well-connected international activist from the 19th century hiding in plain sight.

The Cathedral Of The Immaculate Conception

Hear the complicated history of racial passing at the highest levels in 19th-century Catholic Maine.

Commercial Street

Dugan will guide you to where Black leaders and laborers shaped Portland's waterfront and earned a seat at the table when the odds were against them.

Bell Buoy Park

Visit the Black social scene of WWII Portland and meet the important people who came out of that period to impact our lives today.

Old Port

Follow Dugan through the Old Port to a historically-Black section on the eastern end of the waterfront, uncovering Black history hidden all around us. You'll hear about the people who founded Maine communities, overturned slavery statewide, drove our maritime industries, swung elections, founded houses of worship, crossed color boundaries, and expanded Mainers’ rights in the modern era.

Portland Observatory

Learn how important Black Portlanders were to the maritime economy in the age of sail.

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