Portsmouth African Burying Ground Memorial...in honor of those forgotten

This is the story of a small city that got to know itself, and its history, a little better because of those unwilling to keep the past buried.

The backhoe hit the coffin buried under Chestnut Street the morning of October 7, 2003. Work on the sewer line stopped. And a twelve-year journey began. A journey that led not only to the creation of Portsmouth's African Burying Ground Memorial, but also to an expanding awareness of New Hampshire's history of slavery. A journey that brought together white and Black members of the Portsmouth community in a not-always-easy alliance to "honor those long forgotten." A journey that continues today.