Josiah Henson Special Park
11420 Old Georgetown Road
North Bethesda, MD 20852
More information: 301-650-4373
Special Events | Parking & Weather |
History |
Research | Resources
Josiah Henson Special Park is located on the old Isaac Riley Farm in North Bethesda where the Reverend Josiah Henson lived and worked as a slave from 1795 to 1830. This park is a historic resource of local, state, national and international significance because of its association with Reverend Henson, whose 1849 autobiography inspired Harriet Beecher Stowe's landmark novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin. Currently there are limited events at the park.
After extensive public outreach the master plan for the development of Josiah Henson Special Park was approved and adopted in December 2010. This project now moves to our Park Development Division which has begun the facility planning for this park . Visit the facility planning project web page for information on the progress of this project.
2012 Special Events
Black History Month Celebrations
"A Walk in
Father Henson's
Footsteps" Guided Tours
Saturdays | February 4, 11, 18, 25
Open 12:00 noon - 4:00 pm
Free admission
Join Montgomery Parks in celebrating Black History Month at Josiah Henson Special Park for some fun and FREE activities. Enjoy guided tours of the historic Josiah Henson
Special Park during Black History Month.
Retrace the footsteps of Reverend Josiah Henson
from his enslavement to escape on the
Underground Railroad to freedom in Canada. Walk the grounds where Henson toiled as a slave on the Isaac Riley plantation. Copies of Reverend Henson's autobiography and the new children's book, Working for Freedom: The Story of Josiah Henson will be available for purchase each Saturday. Guided tours begin at 12 noon, 1:00 pm, 2:00 pm. and 3:00 pm - no reservations required.
“Lyrical Rhythms:
The Sounds of Freedom”
Live Spoken Word Poetry Event
Saturday, February 25
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Free admission
Join us as we close out our Black History Month
celebration at the park with our anual poetry event.
Create your own "sounds of freedom" in the form of
original poetry. Come prepared to share your poetry.
Reception with light refreshments immediately follows. Your poetry should inlude any
of the following themes:
Slavery | Freedom | Underground Railroad | Reverend
Josiah Henson | “Uncle Tom” | Civil War | ... and any other
topics related to the African American experience. Call 301-650-4373 for more information. Tours will not be conducted between 3:00 pm and 4:00 pm.
Guidelines for poets:
- Be profound, not profane.
- Poets have three minutes to share.
- Words only, musical accompaniment not desired.
- Ages 14 and up encouraged to participate.
- Arrive early to sign up for the event.
Parking & Weather
Parking
- Parking is ONLY available just around the corner at the Montgomery Aquatics Center, located two blocks away at 5900 Executive Blvd., North Bethesda. (0.2 miles).
- Click on the map at right for a closer look or download a detailed walking map (pdf, 1.4MB) or use a Google map.
Inclement Weather
- In the event of severe weather, please call ahead to confirm the park will be open before traveling to the site.
- Call 301-650-4373 for a recorded message of the most current park event hours.
History
The Josiah Henson Special Park (formerly called the Riley Farm/"Uncle Tom's Cabin") is a historic resource of local, state, national and international significance because of its association with Reverend Josiah Henson, whose 1849 autobiography inspired Harriet Beecher Stowe's landmark novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin. The Riley Farm was where Henson lived and worked as a slave from 1795 to 1830. The existing structure was the home of Isaac and Matilda Riley. The frame portion dates to 1800-1815, based on nail chronology. The log wing, built as a kitchen with a loft, dates to 1850-51 based on dendrochronology (tree ring analysis).
Many of Henson's experiences of living as a slave on the Riley property are vividly depicted in his autobiographies and are recreated in Stowe's novel. Henson eventually escaped to Canada in 1830, where he established a fugitive slave community called Dawn and became a minister, speaker and writer. He returned to the United States several times between 1831 and 1865 as a conductor on the Underground Railroad.
The impact of Stowe's novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin, cannot be underestimated. Published in 1852, it broke all sales records of the time and sold over half a million copies by 1857. It inspired and enflamed the abolitionist movement in the mid-19th century and many believe it helped to propel the American Civil War.
Because of the historical associations of the Josiah Henson Special Park there is perhaps no property in Montgomery County that conjures up images of slavery and the slave experience as much as this resource. The goal for the interpretation of the Josiah Henson Special Park is to accurately portray Henson’s life and the Maryland slave experience as well as to explore the impact of Stowe’s novel. The realization of this goal will have a permanent educational benefit.
The Josiah Henson Special Park had been in private ownership for its entire history, until it was acquired by the Montgomery County Department of Parks, part of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) in January 2006. The building and site are protected by public ownership and M-NCPPC is committed to excellent stewardship of this resource.
The Montgomery County Planning Board held a Planning Board Work Session on December 2, 2010 where it approved/adopted the master plan and the recommended name change from "Uncle Tom’s Cabin" Special Park to Josiah Henson Special Park. Visit the Josiah Henson Special Park Master Plan web page for more information.
Research
In 2008 a Historic Structure Report was written to systematically and comprehensively document the property’s origins, physical materials, and archaeological yield. M-NCPPC contracted John Milner and Associates, Inc. to complete the necessary investigations. Their experienced team developed a detailed analysis of the building and grounds.
In this document you will find information on Reverend Josiah Henson, the Riley family, and on the structures and landscape of the site. As with all historical inquiries, research is ongoing.
The site is now in the "Design Phase" looking into all of the issues surrounding the conversion of the site from a private dwelling into a public cultural resource. Parks historians are investigating the history of the Henson site on a continual basis.
Timeline
| Date | Acquisition & Research |
|---|---|
2006 |
Riley Farm Property Acquired |
June 2008 |
Historic Structure Report Completed |
October 2008 |
Dendrochronology Completed |
2009 |
Rozier Property Acquired |
December 2010 |
Josiah Henson Special Park Master Plan - Approved and Adopted |
| Spring 2011 | Facility plan Initiated. Contact the project manager, Eileen.Emmet@MontgomeryParks.org at 301-495-2550 with questions and comments. |
Resources
Electronic versions of Reverend Josiah Henson's autobiographies are available online. Please follow the links below to read Henson's historic narratives
- The Life of Josiah Henson, Formerly a Slave, Now an Inhabitant of Canada, as Narrated by Himself (1849): Electronic Edition. (The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2001.)
- Truth Stranger than Fiction, Father Henson's Story of His Own Life (1858): Electronic Edition. (Google Books.)
- "Uncle Tom's" Story of His Life, 1789 to 1881: An Autobiography of the Rev. Josiah Henson ("Uncle Tom") (1881): Electronic Edition. (The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2006.)
back to top - Last update: January 24, 2012
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9500 Brunett Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20901
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