montgomery parks: park planning & stewardship

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Montgomery Parks: Park Planning & Stewardship

Back to: Parks home Planning & Stewardship Cultural Resources Stewardship Historyin the Parks Josiah Henson Special Park

11420 Old Georgetown Road

North Bethesda, MD 20852

Information: 301-650-4373

Hours of Operation

Open for special events only

EVENTS | GROUP TOURS | PARKING & WEATHER | | HISTORY | RESEARCH | RESOURCES

Josiah Henson Park is located on the historic Isaac Riley Farm in North Bethesda where theReverend Josiah Henson lived and worked as a slave from 1795 to 1830. This park is a historicresource of local, state, national and international significance because of its association withReverend Henson, whose 1849 autobiography, The Life of Josiah Henson, Formerly a Slave, inspiredHarriet Beecher Stowe's landmark novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin. The park is currently open only duringa limited number of dates each season. Mark your calendar with the upcoming 2013 special events.

All events are free and open to the public.

The Josiah Henson Park is part of the National Park Service National UndergroundRailroad Network to Freedom program.

After extensive public outreach the master plan for the development of Josiah Henson Park wasapproved 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 forinformation on the progress of this project.

Time Team America at Josiah Henson Park!


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"The Search For Josiah Henson" Premieres Tuesday, August 19, 2014 on PBS

The Josiah Henson archaeological site was one of four American sites selected by Time TeamAmerica for inclusion in their second season. Time Team America brought their high-tech equipmentto help Park Archaeologists learn more about a very special man in American History, JosiahHenson. "The Search for Josiah Henson", is an over-the-archaeologists'-shoulder view of discoveriesmade at our very own Josiah Henson Park!

Group Tours

Montgomery Parks is proud to be able to offer Group & School Tours of the JosiahHenson Park, one of our most prominent historic sites to the public. All tours will be presented by

trained guides who will make history come alive for your group.

Parking & Weather

Parking

Parking is ONLY available just around the corner at the Kennedy Shriver Aquatic Center, located 1.5blocks 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 tothe site.

Call 301-650-4373 for a recorded message of the most current park event hours.

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History


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The Josiah Henson Park (formerly called the Riley Farm/"Uncle Tom's Cabin")is a historic resource of local, state, national and international significance because of its associationwith Reverend Josiah Henson, whose 1849 autobiography, The Life of Josiah Henson, Formerly aSlave, Now an Inhabitant of Canada, as Narrated by Himself, inspired Harriet Beecher Stowe'slandmark novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin. The Riley Farm was where Henson lived and worked as a slavefrom 1795 to 1830. The existing structure was the home of Isaac and Matilda Riley. The frameportion 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 andwriter. He returned to the United States several times between 1831 and 1865 as a conductor on theUnderground Railroad.

The impact of Stowe's novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin, should not be underestimated. Published in 1852, itbroke all sales records of the time and sold over half a million copies by 1857. It inspired andenflamed 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 Park there is perhaps no property inMontgomery County that conjures up images of slavery and the slave experience as much as thisresource. The goal for the interpretation of the Josiah Old Victorian Homes For Sale Bethesda MDHenson Special Park is to accurately portray Henson's life and the Maryland slave experience aswell as to explore the impact of Stowe's novel. The realization of this goal will have a permanenteducational benefit.

The Josiah Henson Park had been in private ownership for its entire history, until it was acquired bythe Montgomery County Department of Parks, part of the Maryland-National Capital Park andPlanning 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, 2010where it approved/adopted the master plan and the recommended name change from "Uncle Tom'sCabin" Special Park to Josiah Henson Special Park. Visit the Josiah Henson Special Park Master Planweb page for more information.

The Riley/Bolten House has recently been Historical Homes Bethesda MDlisted on the NationalRegister of Historic Places for its historic significance. It is considered to have irreplaceablecultural, material, and aesthetic value.

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Research
http://getyourmontgomerycountydreamhome.com/historical-homes/Bethesda-MD-Historic-Houses-For-Sale/18/superior-support-and-greatest-reviews.htmlhttp://www.getyourmontgomerycountydreamhome.com/historical-homes/Bethesda-MD-Historic-Houses-For-Sale/18/superior-support-and-greatest-reviews.htmlhttp://www.getyourmontgomerycountydreamhome.com/historical-homes/Bethesda-MD-Historic-Houses-For-Sale/18/superior-support-and-greatest-reviews.htmlhttp://getyourmontgomerycountydreamhome.com/historical-homes/Bethesda-MD-Historic-Houses-For-Sale/18/superior-support-and-greatest-reviews.html


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In 2008 a Historic Structure Report was written to systematically and comprehensively documentthe property's origins, physical materials, and archaeological yield. M-NCPPC contracted JohnMilner and Associates, Inc. to complete the necessary investigations. Their experienced teamdeveloped a detailed analysis of the building and grounds.

In this document you will find information on Reverend Josiah Henson, the Riley family, and on thestructures 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 thesite from a private dwelling into a public cultural resource. Parks historians are investigating thehistory of the Henson site on a continual basis.

Timeline

Resources

Electronic versions of Reverend Josiah Henson's autobiographies are available online. Please followthe links below to read Henson's historic narratives:

Uncle Tom's Cabin Historic Site, Ontario, CanadaTrace Father Henson's footsteps to his final home in Canada. Visit the Uncle Tom's Cabin HistoricSite in Dresden, Ontario to learn more about Reverend Henson's life and work at Dawn Settlement


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in Canada.

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montgomery parks: park planning & stewardship

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