The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire, in partnership with Sara Dunkerton, the Canaan Historical Society, and the Old North Church, held a marker unveiling on August 3rd, 2025, honoring Noyes Academy during the church's annual service.
Conceived by abolitionists who were members of the church and active in the Underground Railroad, Noyes Academy was intended to be America's first racially integrated upper level school. Only months after it opened in 1835, it was destroyed by a mob who used about 90 teams of oxen to rip it from its foundation and haul it a half mile down the road.
The marker also pays tribute to student Henry Highland Garnet, who later became a clergyman and was the first African American to speak in Congress, giving a sermon before the House of Representatives.
