Montgomery County, Maryland, is home to powerful stories of the Underground Railroad and the courageous freedom seekers who risked everything in pursuit of freedom. Reverend Josiah Henson was an abolitionist, author, and public speaker who helped guide others to freedom through the Underground Railroad. Today, the former site of the Riley plantation is home to the Josiah Henson Museum & Park, where visitors can explore his life and legacy through interactive exhibits, historic artifacts, and self-guided tours.
Josiah Henson was born into slavery in Maryland in 1789. As a young man, he worked as an enslaved man on the Isaac Riley Plantation in what is now North Bethesda, Maryland, the site of today’s Josiah Henson Museum & Park. For much of his life, Henson endured unimaginable hardship, including forced labor, the threat of family separation, and the uncertainty of living as someone else’s property. Yet his story is not defined by suffering alone. It is also a story of resilience, faith, and determination, and a testament to one man’s enduring pursuit of freedom.
In 1830, Henson escaped slavery with his wife and children, making their way to freedom in Canada. But his journey did not end there. He became an influential author, abolitionist, and public speaker; helped establish Dawn Settlement, a community for formerly enslaved African Americans in Ontario, and returned to the United States to help guide more than 100 freedom seekers to Canada through the Underground Railroad.
Henson’s 1849 autobiography, The Life of Josiah Henson, Formerly a Slave, Now an Inhabitant of Canada, preserved his experiences and became an important source of inspiration for Harriet Beecher Stowe’s landmark anti-slavery novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Published in 1852, Stowe’s novel brought the realities of slavery to a broad audience and intensified the national debate over slavery in the years leading up to the Civil War.
More than a century later, Henson’s story continues to resonate because it is about more than the journey from slavery to freedom. It is about the strength to overcome unimaginable circumstances, the courage to help others pursue freedom, and the power of telling one’s own story. Today, visitors can return to the place where Henson’s story began at Josiah Henson Museum & Park, connecting with the landscape, history, and legacy of a man whose pursuit of freedom became part of a much larger American story.
Did You Know? Josiah Henson’s image appeared on Canadian postage in 2020, more than 130 years after his death, recognizing his contributions to the history of Black Canadians and the fight against slavery.
Explore Josiah Henson’s Story in Montgomery County
To understand more about Henson’s life and the world he lived in, visit Josiah Henson Museum & Park, located on the historic site where his story began. Explore his life, legacy, and pursuit of freedom through interactive exhibits, historic artifacts, and the landscape of the former riley plantation. The museum offers an opportunity to move beyond the historical record and explore the experiences of Henson and other enslaved people who lived and worked on the property.
The experience begins in the Visitor Center with a short orientation film before continuing into the historic Riley-Botten House, where interactive exhibits and illustrations trace Henson’s life from enslavement to freedom. In the 1850 log kitchen, listen to an interactive audio experience featuring firsthand accounts that offer insight into the experiences of enslaved people and provide a personal perspective on the realities of enslaved life.
Outside, explore the grounds and interactive exhibits, including discovering archeological evidence uncovered from the former plantation that helps tell the stories of the people who lived and worked there. Beyond the museum itself, a self-guided tour allows you to explore at your own pace while offering a powerful opportunity to reflect on Henson’s remarkable journey and experience history in the very place where his story unfolded.
Did You Know? The Riley-Bolten House was built in 1801 and is one of the few surviving structures connected to Josiah Henson’s life in Maryland, allowing visitors to explore a place directly connected to his story more than 200 years later.
Experience International Underground Railroad Month in Montgomery County
September is International Underground Railroad Month, a time to honor the Freedom Seekers who risked everything in pursuit of freedom and the communities that helped them along the way. Throughout Montgomery County, connect history through a variety of events and experiences that bring the stories of the Underground Railroad to life.
Josiah Henson Museum & Park will host several events throughout the month, including History Hour: Before It Was Leisure World, There Was an Edmonson Farm on September 10, which explores the history of the Edmonson family farm and the community that existed before what is now known as Leisure World. Learn about the family’s legacy and its connection to an agricultural past that helped shape the landscape, communities, and stories of Montgomery County.
On September 18, the museum will host Foodie Fridays: Hear the Past – History in the Kitchen: Two Montgomery County Cooks. Local historian, author, and explorer of the past Anthony Cohen will explore historic foodways and their connection to the Underground Railroad, Button Farm Living History Center, and the heirloom crop varieties grown there today.
Additional events include Harriet Tubman Day at Button Farm Living History Center and a Guided Hike on the Underground Railroad Experience Trail at Woodlawn Manor Cultural Park, offering meaningful ways to connect with Montgomery County’s Underground Railroad history.
Did You Know? Maryland helped establish September as International Underground Railroad Month, creating an annual opportunity to honor the courage of freedom seekers, abolitionists, and the communities that helped them pursue freedom.
Want to learn more about the life and legacy of Josiah Henson and the stories of those who sought freedom through the Underground Railroad? During International Underground Railroad Month, honor the lives and legacies of freedom seekers and visit Josiah Henson Museum & Park to discover the place where Henson’s story began.
