Date: June 11, 2025 Format: Zoom Livestream from Dresden, Ontario
On the evening of June 11th, approximately 20 participants gathered—some in person at The Archives enjoying tea and cookies, others from the comfort of their homes—for a compelling virtual tour of the Josiah Henson Museum of African-Canadian History. Led by curator Steven Cook, this immersive Zoom event brought to life a deeply moving chapter of Canadian and North American history.
Broadcast live from the museum in Dresden, the tour provided a guided walk through the museum’s extensive five-acre property, featuring the Josiah Henson House, a sawmill, three historical buildings, two cemeteries, and an Interpretive Centre. The experience was enriched by personal stories, historical insight, and preserved artifacts that highlight the courage and resilience of freedom seekers who escaped slavery and found refuge in Canada via the Underground Railroad.
We extend our sincere thanks to Steven Cook and the museum team for their dedication and storytelling. We learned about:
The trans-Atlantic slave trade
Slavery in Ontario
The life and legacy of Josiah Henson
The history and operation of the Underground Railroad
Early Black settlements in Ontario
— Mary Simpson, Glencoe & District Historical Society
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.
