New York City Historical Walking Tour

Walk through the historic Seaport District and uncover a lesser-known chapter of New York City’s past. Sarah’s Fire tells the story of Black life in early Manhattan, where free and enslaved people lived in a port city connected to the sugar plantations of the West Indies.

The 90-minute walk begins in 1664, on the second day of British New York, in the small settlement known as the Land of the Blacks. Follow the story to April 6, 1712, when Sarah, an enslaved woman, joined 28 others in the first militarized Black rebellion on Manhattan. A licensed guide brings this history into focus, with a gallery visit and souvenir included. The tour’s approach blends art, history, and scholarship to illuminate the people and events that shaped the city.

Join this New York City historical walking tour to see the Seaport through a deeper lens and hear Sarah’s story where the city’s past still meets the waterfront.