The 2025 Brigade Lecture Series presents “Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire” with Barbara Ward, staff member at The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire. The event will be held on Wednesday, August 20 at 2 p.m. The Brigade Lecture Series is produced by the Pierce Brigade and held May through October in Concord at the Pierce Manse — the historic home of President Franklin Pierce, the 14th President of the United States. Brigade Lecture Series programs are free and open to the public.
Created in the early 1990s, the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire was established as a way to commemorate the Granite State’s Black history. The presentation will highlight the mission and work of The Black Heritage Trail, which now features a series of historic markers throughout New Hampshire towns that honor the significant contributions that Black people, and their descendants, have made in the Granite State for more than 300 years.
Barbara Ward is senior grant writer and head of special projects at The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire. Her role involves researching and writing major grants and working with a team of people at on public and educational programs and curricula, oral histories and historic preservation projects. She is past director/curator at the Moffatt Ladd House and Garden.
Ward is a writer and has edited and contributed to numerous publications, including the “Encyclopedia of New England Culture” and the “Journal of American Folklore.” She also wrote “The Moffatt-Ladd House: From Mansion to Museum.” Newly released is her latest book, “Setting for Revolution: the Moffatt-Ladd House Parlor.”
The Pierce Brigade, the membership organization dedicated to preserving the home and legacy of President Franklin Pierce, is welcoming new volunteers interested in helping to share the Pierces’ story.
Subsequent Brigade Lecture Series programs include “Remember the Ladies: Introducing Some of NH’s First Ladies” on September 17; and “Supreme Court Cases That Changed America” on October 22. A full schedule of events is available at www.piercemanse.org.
The Pierce Manse is located at 14 Horseshoe Pond Lane in Concord. The Manse is open for guided tours through October 25 on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. No reservations are required.
More information, including a complete calendar of events, can be found at www.piercemanse.org.
About the Pierce Brigade
The Pierce Brigade is the membership organization dedicated to preserving the home and legacy of President Franklin Pierce, the 14th President of the United States. President Pierce and his family owned the Pierce Manse from 1842-1848. In 1971, the Pierce Manse was saved from demolition by the Pierce Brigade and moved to its current location at 14 Horseshoe Pond Lane in Concord, New Hampshire. For more information, visit www.piercemanse.org.
