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Portland, Maine Black History Walking Tour
Portland, Maine, USA
$49.00
This is an experience gift voucher. The recipient will book the experience after
they redeem the gift voucher.
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!
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!
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Portland Black History Tour
Duration: 2 hours
Duration: 2 hours
Tour guide
Language: English
Human tour guide
Duration: 2 hours
Availability depends on seasonality and number of participants. Bookings can not be made for the same day. Please read our TnC’s.
When giving as a gift, your recipient can choose a date at their convenience during a booking process. Otherwise, you can choose one after checkout and voucher redemption.
When giving as a gift, your recipient can choose a date at their convenience during a booking process. Otherwise, you can choose one after checkout and voucher redemption.
Check available dates by emailing us at [email protected]
- Donation toward restoring the Abyssinian Meeting House, America's third-oldest standing Black church
- Two hour fully narrated guided tour.
- 10% off water tours with Portland Paddle (instructions at confirmation)
- A tip for your guide!
Meeting point
Meet at the front steps of First Parish Church. Your guide will be holding a sign that says "Portland by the Foot." Check-in time is 10 minutes prior to the scheduled tour time. The church is one half mile from the cruise ship terminal.
Return details
Eastern Cemetery is on Congress Street at the head of Montgomery Street. If you want to get back to where we started, it's an easy, straight shot 0.5 miles (10-minute walk) down Congress Street. It's also 0.5 miles from the cruise ship terminal.
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Your guide Dugan will lead you to the locations relevant to Black Mainers and their achievements. We'll trace the steps of the folks who resisted indignity and realized power to move our city, state, and country closer to the ideals of freedom, democracy, opportunity, and equality.
- Discover the hidden Black history that predates slavery in Maine. (pass by)
- Be surprised by the story of a largely unknown but well-connected international activist from the 19th century hiding in plain sight. (pass by)
- Hear the complicated history of racial passing at the highest levels in 19th-century Catholic Maine. (pass by)
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Commercial StreetDugan 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.
- Portland's maritime history may not be what you think it is. Discover the Black skill and labor too often overlooked. (pass by)
- Marvel at the architecture and hear how antebellum Black Portland built and wielded political power at a time when the vast majority of Black Americans were denied suffrage. (pass by)
- Visit the Black social scene of WWII Portland and meet the important people who came out of that period to impact our lives today. (pass by)
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Old PortFollow 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.
- Learn the story of an enterprising Black man who forged his own destiny in spite of those who tried to hold him back. (pass by)
- Find the brave folks who risked federal prosecution by aiding and abetting freedom seekers from the South via the Underground Railroad. (pass by)
- Marvel at the achievements of a small, tight-knit community, who worked together to improve their lives and the lives of others. (pass by)
- Learn how important Black Portlanders were to the maritime economy in the age of sail. (pass by)
- Visit the beating heart of the civil rights movement and hear the stories of the leaders whose impacts are still being felt today. (pass by)
How it works?
01
—
You choose from 10 000+ experience gifts
02
—
We deliver the eVoucher or the Physical box to the recipient
03
—
Recipient books the experience and creates unforgettable memories!
Portland, Maine Black History Walking Tour
Portland, Maine, USA
$49.00
This is an experience gift voucher. The recipient will book the experience after
they redeem the gift voucher.
How it works?
01
—
You choose from 10 000+ experience gifts
02
—
We deliver the eVoucher or the Physical box to the recipient
03
—
Recipient books the experience and creates unforgettable memories!