Keene to add Black Heritage Trail marker for Dr. Albert C. Johnston

After the unveiling, visitors will be able to join a downtown walking tour focused on the Walldogs Murals, including the mural honoring Johnston.

Keene will soon add another piece of public history when a marker recognizing Dr. Albert C. Johnston is unveiled Saturday at 167 Washington St. The sign will become part of the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire, marking the first trail stop in Keene and expanding a statewide effort that documents Black history in the Granite State.

The free ceremony is scheduled for 11 a.m. and will be led by the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire, the Historical Society of Cheshire County and the Monadnock Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Coalition. After the unveiling, visitors will be able to join a downtown walking tour focused on the Walldogs Murals, including the mural honoring Johnston.

City leaders have described the addition as a point of pride for Keene. Mayor Jay Kahn raised the upcoming event during last week’s City Council meeting.

Johnston, a Black physician, worked in Keene during the 1930s and 1940s while presenting himself as white. That decision allowed him to build a medical career at the Keene hospital and become part of civic life at a time when Black residents were shut out of many opportunities.

Historians say the marker does more than recognize one accomplished local doctor. Jennifer Carroll, executive director of the Cheshire County historical society, said Johnston’s life illustrates the discrimination Black people faced in New England even without the formal segregation laws found in the South. She also said the story offers a way to discuss passing and the personal cost it carried for families like the Johnstons.

Dariya Steele, who coordinates markers for the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire, said Johnston’s family story stands out and reflects the group’s effort to recover history from perspectives that have often been left out of standard accounts.

Johnston and his family came to Keene in 1940. According to the historical society, he and his wife, Thyra, kept their Black identity hidden, even from their children, who believed they were white while growing up. Their experience later inspired the 1949 film Lost Boundaries.

During World War II, Johnston was first accepted by the U.S. Navy as a medical officer, but the Navy later removed him after learning he was Black. After that, he told his children and the wider community the truth about the family’s background.

Despite that revelation, the Johnstons remained in Keene and continued to be active in local life. Carroll said they maintained strong ties in the community. After Johnston retired in 1966, the couple moved to Hawaii, though both are buried in St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Keene. Johnston died in 1988.

A family member, great-grandson Nicholas Mitchell, is expected to attend Saturday’s event. Mitchell, who lives in Massachusetts, said the marker helps bring attention to the hidden history of people who passed as white.

The family’s story has drawn unusual public attention because it was documented and later adapted for film, Mitchell noted. He said that makes the Johnston case uncommon among passing stories, even though the practice itself was not rare.

Carroll said the new marker is important, but it should also encourage broader recognition of Black life in Keene. She noted that the city had many Black residents whose histories were less visible, including workers in factories, domestic service and agriculture. She said the marker can serve as a starting point for a wider conversation about those overlooked lives.