Footsteps to Freedom 1999: Day Six

Update posted on Thu, Aug 19, 1999, at 2:41:13 PM Pacific Daylight Time.

"Uncle Tom's Cabin" - The Josiah Henson Historical Centre
Dresden, Ontario

Multimedia Available for this Event. Go to Multimedia Page.

The Dresden site includes the original "cabin", "Uncle Tom's" gravesite, and five additional historic structures. The experiences of Reverend Josiah Henson, a fugitive slave from Maryland - his courage, compassion, and achievements - inspired Harriet Beecher Stowe to write the book, Uncle Tom's Cabin. Henson worked as a slave for 41 years. He escaped in 1830 to Upper Canada via the Underground Railroad. In 1841, he and a group of abolitionists purchased 400 acres near Dresden, Ontario and established the Dawn Settlement where one year later they started the British American Institute for fugitive slaves, the first Black vocational school in North America.

The great-great-granddaughter of Josiah Henson, Barbara Carter, (above right) was gracious enough to spend some time with us, answering questions and telling us about the history of the site and her ancestor. Steven Cooke (above left) was our entertaining guide, combining humor and seriousness as he took us through the museum and grounds.

Below and right are examples of some of the devices slave owners used to control and terrorize their "property." Below, a neck attachment that would disable a slave from running through bush or forest -- usually used on someone who had made escape attempts before. At right, thumb screws used to torture someone for information. Below that, a speculum orus -- used to force feed a slave.

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