February 5, 2025 Virtual tour of Josiah Henson Museum

February 5th at 10 am.  

Josiah Henson Museum of African-Canadian History virtual guided tour.

Zoom link coming.

Students and community members, sign on to zoom for a 60-minute live tour of Josiah Henson Museum of African-Canadian History in Dresden.  Instead of getting on the bus, we can all join together to learn about the history of the Underground Railroad.   Museum staff will take us on a walking tour of the historical buildings and tell us stories about what it meant to cross the border into Canada after a harrowing journey north.

An estimated 30,000 Black refugees from slavery in the United States fled to Canada along the silent tracks of the Underground Railroad – a network of people who aided these refugees as they followed the North Star to freedom. One of these freedom seekers was abolitionist, Underground Railroad conductor and former slave Josiah Henson. 

Mr. Henson became known as Uncle Tom through his connection to Harriet Beecher Stowe’s 1852 anti-slavery novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin. 

This live-streaming experience incorporates a tour of the museum and two-hectare (five-acre) property, including the Interpretive Centre, three historical buildings – including the Josiah Henson House – a sawmill, two cemeteries and numerous artifacts that have been preserved as a legacy to those freedom seekers.

Topics discussed include:

• an overview of the trans-Atlantic slave trade
• slavery in Ontario
• a discussion on the life of Josiah Henson
• the Underground Railroad
• early Black settlements in Ontario

We will meet a descendant of some of these courageous Underground Railroad freedom seekers and learn about the early Black presence in Ontario.

More details: 

• Suitable for grades 6 to 11
• All tours will be held over Zoom and are live. Please ensure there is a microphone and camera on your device.

• For an optimal viewing experience, a stable internet connection capable of streaming high-definition videos on one or more devices is recommended.

• You’ll be able to live-stream this tour using any standard web browser. For an optimal experience, we recommend that you use the latest version of your browser.

• Portions of the tour discuss the harsh reality of slavery in a sensitive and honest manner and may not be suitable for all ages.