Josiah Henson Museum Recognizes International Underground Railroad Month

The newly completed Josiah Henson Museum in North Bethesda will hold a community event on Sunday, September 12, commemorating International Underground Railroad Month. The celebration, hosted by Montgomery Parks, will include free family-friendly events, period re-enactments, and musical performances.

As a conductor on the Underground Railroad, Reverend Henson lead 118 former enslaved people to freedom and established his own settlement in Canada. About 20 years later, Henson wrote a autobiography about his experiences entitled The Life of Josiah Henson, Formerly a Slave, Now an Inhabitant of Canada, which inspired Harriet Beecher Stowe’s landmark novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

The community celebration at the museum will last from 12 p.m. until 4 p.m. and include musical performances, re-enactments to reflect on the past, and a Peace Pinwheels demonstration to portray people’s plans to bring peace to the world, according to Montgomery Parks.

About Margaret Attridge

Margaret Attridge is a Fall 2021 Intern with MyMCM from the University of Maryland, College Park. Contact her at mattridge@mymcmedia.com.

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