Skip to content

African Burying Ground

African Burying Ground is a historic site in New Hampshire, at a modelled elevation of 6 m. Mount Agamenticus stands 210 m to the north-northeast, 11 miles off. The nearest named place is Vigilance, a historic site less than a tenth of a mile away. Coastal Byway runs past it.

The story

The Portsmouth African Burying Ground is a memorial park on Chestnut Street in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, United States. The memorial park sits on top of an 18th-century gravesite containing almost two hundred freed and enslaved African people. It is the only archeologically verified African burying ground for the time period in New England. The site was discovered in 2003 when construction workers discovered the buried while trying to dig a manhole. Remains of eight individuals were exhumed and determined to be of African descent. Of the eight remains, four were men, one was a female, one a child, and the rest were unable to be determined.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Wikidata Q97357199, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.

How to reach it

Coordinates43.07485, -70.75880

Overlooks nearby

Named places within 25 miles

Historic sites
Museums
Parks
Nature reserves
Peaks
  • Sagamore Hill: 1.3 mi
  • Sagamore Hill: 1.3 mi
  • Boatswain Hill: 1.9 mi
  • Hobbs Hill: 2.0 mi
  • Peverly Hill: 2.3 mi
Gardens: 47
Beaches: 44
Artworks: 32
Attractions: 18
Waterfalls: 14
  • Piscassic Falls: 9.6 mi
  • Second Falls: 9.7 mi
  • Packer's Falls: 9.9 mi
  • Great Falls: 11.4 mi
  • Lower Falls: 11.4 mi
Cliffs: 13
  • Dover Bluff: 10.0 mi
  • Coffin's Cut: 10.4 mi
  • Coffin's Cut: 10.4 mi
  • Coffin's Cut: 10.4 mi
  • Coffin's Cut: 10.5 mi
Picnic sites: 9
  • Fort McClary Picnic Area: 2.6 mi
  • Birthday Bay: 2.9 mi
  • Front Pavilion: 7.1 mi
  • Scamman Pavilion: 7.2 mi
  • 4H Pavilion: 7.3 mi
Rest areas: 6
  • Hampton Liquor and Wine Outlet Southbound: 10.8 mi
  • Hampton Liquor and Wine Outlet Northbound: 11.0 mi
  • Seabrook Rest Area: 14.5 mi
  • I 95 SB Salisbury Rest Area: 14.9 mi
  • Rest Area I-495 (South Bound): 21.6 mi
Springs: 4
  • Jailhouse Spring: 11.7 mi
  • Two Sisters Spring: 14.2 mi
  • Lion's Spring: 18.5 mi
  • Rail Spring: 22.4 mi

Summits around it

The highest named summits within 10.8 miles of African Burying Ground. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.

SummitBearingElevationDistance
Mount AgamenticusNNE 18°210 m10.8 mi
Horse HillsNNE 17°118 m9.9 mi
Third HillN 351°104 m7.0 mi
Horse HillsNNE 15°98 m9.3 mi
Stratham HillWSW 250°88 m7.0 mi
Great HillNNW 346°87 m6.3 mi
Jewell HillWSW 246°81 m7.5 mi
Raitt HillN 350°74 m6.1 mi

When to go

Light through the year

DateSunriseGolden hourSunset
March equinox06:4718:1818:55
June solstice05:0419:4320:27
September equinox06:3118:0518:42
December solstice07:1215:2516:12

Local time (America/New_York).

Climate normals

Months averaging 50–80 °F: May–Oct.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg °F242734455565706962504030
Precip in3.63.64.84.64.04.63.93.74.14.94.14.9

1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Greenland, 5 mi away.

Where this comes from

Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.

OpenStreetMapWikidata

OpenStreetMap element way/456208604

More historic sites in New Hampshire

Day trips start here

Drive to it

Byway plans a real route around stops like this one.

Private beta · Free to join

Take the scenic way to African Burying Ground.

Byway plans around your taste, verified places, real weather and opening hours — then opens every leg in Google Maps with one tap.

Private beta · Free to join · No card · Invite when a spot opens