What You Will Do
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!
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Itinerary
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.
1
Downtown
50 minutes
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.
2
Lobsterman Park
Discover the hidden Black history that predates slavery in Maine.
3
Congress Street
Be surprised by the story of a largely unknown but well-connected international activist from the 19th century hiding in plain sight.
4
The Cathedral Of The Immaculate Conception
Hear the complicated history of racial passing at the highest levels in 19th-century Catholic Maine.
5
Commercial Street
20 minutes
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.
6
Portland's maritime history may not be what you think it is. Discover the Black skill and labor too often overlooked.
7
United States Custom House
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.
8
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.
9
Old Port
50 minutes
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.
10
Exchange Street
Learn the story of an enterprising Black man who forged his own destiny in spite of those who tried to hold him back.
11
Find the brave folks who risked federal prosecution by aiding and abetting freedom seekers from the South via the Underground Railroad.
12
Marvel at the achievements of a small, tight-knit community, who worked together to improve their lives and the lives of others.
13
Portland Observatory
Learn how important Black Portlanders were to the maritime economy in the age of sail.
14
Visit the beating heart of the civil rights movement and hear the stories of the leaders whose impacts are still being felt today.
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