Uncle Tom's Cabin
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Hard Oiler
N 42° 35.136 W 082° 11.787
17T E 401825 N 4715491
Uncle Tom's Cabin historic site in Dresden Ontario. A final stop on the Underground Railway. The coordinates are for the grave of Josiah Henson – the “Uncle Tom” in Harriet Beecher Stowe's famous novel.
Waymark Code: WMYTD
Location: Ontario, Canada
Date Posted: 11/16/2006
Views: 261
Josiah Henson was born a slave on June 15th 1789 in Charles County, Maryland. He was 41 years old when he escaped to Canada on the Underground Railroad. In 1841, he moved his family to Dresden and helped to establish the Dawn Settlement. The settlement was established to provide a refuge and a new beginning for former slaves.
Josiah made several trips as a conductor on the Underground Railway and led over two hundred slaves to Canada. He also founded the British American Institute, one of Canada's first industrial schools. The school was intended for the advancement of fugitive slaves.
Josiah Henson's name became synonymous with the central character "Uncle Tom" in Harriet Beecher Stowe's famous novel Uncle Tom's Cabin. He died here on May 5th 1883.
At the site you can also see:
The Harris House - one of the oldest structures in the area where fugitive slaves sought refuge.
The Josiah Henson House where Josiah Henson and his wife Nancy lived during the latter part of his life.
The Underground Railroad Freedom Gallery which follows the path for fugitive slaves leaving Africa, their enslavement in the US, and the flight north to freedom.
