New marker in New Hampshire honors Black Revolutionary War soldiers
A new marker in Exeter, New Hampshire, honors Black Revolutionary War soldiers and their families who lived there after the war.
The new marker is part of the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire. Exeter is located
"A lot of people don't understand that New Hampshire has Black history, and it actually has a lot of Black history," said Dariya Steele, program assistant for the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire.
Organizer Renay Allen has worked with the town, the Exeter Historical Society, and the Black Heritage Trail to research and highlight the 12 Black Revolutionary War soldiers and their families who called Exeter home after the war.
"I felt that that history had been very neglected, so I wanted to bring it to light," Allen said.
Exeter was the state capital at the time and a hub for merchant shops and business.
"They came here, they settled, they raised their families for two generations," Allen said. "I wanted the facts to be out there that these people existed. It turned out they were the largest community of Blacks in New Hampshire during the first United States Census in 1790."
Some of the soldiers are buried at the historic Winter Street Cemetery, which is in Exeter.
"This is where 30 or more Revolutionary War soldiers are buried," Allen said.
In the far northeast section of the cemetery, at least two Black soldiers, including Jude Hall, are laid to rest. Hall became one of the most prominent names of the time after being profiled in a book published in Boston in the 1850s.
"He was one of the longest-serving people in the war," Allen said. "He served all eight years. He was at Bunker Hill, right through the end, so he's well known at that time and after."
Another soldier, Tobias Cutler, and his wife, Dorothy, also remained in Exeter after the war. Allen said their headstones were likely replaced in the 1800s by their grandson.
"I think his grandson decided he was going to mark his grandparents' graves with nice big, everlasting stones," Allen added.
On modern-day Water Street, the Exeter marker stands to honor these often-forgotten community members.
"I feel that history was missing certain elements in the past, and we're having more of a true accounting of history now," Allen said.
Their stories, their history and their impact on the small town are etched in stone forever.
"So, we really want to make sure that those voices that were silenced for so, so long are being brought to light now," Steele said. "We just feel now more than ever, it's really important to get this information out there and share with, especially, people of color in the state that they have history and that they matter and they belong, especially in such a white state."
