The Josiah Henson Museum & Park is the first museum in the United States dedicated to Reverend Josiah Henson. Located on the grounds of the former plantation where Henson was enslaved prior to self-emancipating to Canada, the site includes a Visitor Center, historic house with attached log kitchen dating to 1850, and a 4-acre landscaped park with accessible walking paths.  

Indoor and outdoor interpretive exhibits throughout the property detail Henson’s inspirational life story, enslavement in Maryland, and the ongoing struggles of racial equality and justice. 

Born into slavery, Henson defied the odds to become an influential author, Methodist minister, abolitionist, public speaker, and a world-renowned figure.  Among Henson’s many accomplishments was his 1849 autobiography, The Life of Josiah Henson, Formerly a Slave, Now an Inhabitant of Canada, which inspired Harriet Beecher Stowe’s landmark anti-slavery novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin. 

Parking 

A limited number of accessible parking spots are available at the Visitor Center.  

General Parking is only available 1.5 blocks away at the Kennedy-Shriver Aquatic Center/Wall Local Park, 5900 Executive Blvd., North Bethesda. 

Hours/Admission  

Park grounds open daily from sunrise to sunset.  

Museum and Visitor Center open Friday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m, and Sunday 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased on-site. Admission is charged for visitors 6 years and older.