Josiah Henson

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A photo of Josiah Henson, taken in 1877

Josiah Henson (June 15, 1789 – May 5, 1883) was born into slavery in Charles County, Maryland. He escaped to Canada in 1830, and founded a settlement and laborer's school for other fugitive slaves at Dawn, Ontario. Henson's autobiography, The Life of Josiah Henson, Formerly a Slave, Now an Inhabitant of Canada, as Narrated by Himself (1849), is widely believed to have inspired the title character of Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852). Following the success of Stowe's novel, Henson issued an expanded version of life story in 1858 titled, Truth Stranger Than Fiction. Father Henson's Story of His Own Life (published Boston: John P. Jewett & Company, 1858). He died at Dresden, Ontario.

Henson was separated from his family as a young boy, when he was sold as property in an estate sale. Henson rose in his owners' esteem, and was eventually entrusted as the supervisor of his master's farm, located in Montgomery County, Maryland (in what is now North Bethesda). He escaped to Canada in 1830 after learning he might be sold again. There he founded a settlement and labourer's school for other fugitive slaves at Dawn, Canada West (now Ontario). Henson also became an active Methodist preacher, spoke as an abolitionist on lecture tours throughout Britain and British North America, and worked as a part-time conductor on the Underground Railroad along routes between Tennessee and Ontario. He also served in the Canadian army as a militia officer. Josiah Henson is the first black person to be featured on a Canadian stamp. He was also honored by the government of Canada: in 1999, there was erected a plaque, designating Henson as a Canadian of National Historical Significance.

The state of Maryland named an undeveloped state park site in Montgomery County after Henson in 1991.

Matthew Henson, the arctic explorer who accompanied Admiral Robert E. Peary on his expedition to the North Pole in 1909, is Josiah Henson’s great-grand nephew.

[edit] The Henson Cabin

The 'Josiah Henson' cabin

The cabin in which Josiah Henson and other slaves were housed remains standing and is currently nestled amidst a residential development in Montgomery County, Maryland. The cabin is attached to a modern three-bedroom home at 11420 Old Georgetown Road in North Bethesda. After having remained in the hands of private owners for nearly two centuries, on January 6, 2006, the Montgomery Planning Board agreed to purchase the property and an acre of land on which it stands for $1,000,000. The Board plans to open the cabin to the public when possible.

While there are future plans for interpretation, 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' is not currently open to the public. Interested parties should contact MNCPPC's Historic Preservation Office at 301-563-3400.