The space will now be known as the Josiah Henson Museum of African Canadian History, named after its founder and already a key figure in many of the centre’s existing teachings and museum exhibits. “We strive to ensure that the heritage we represent on behalf of the province and on behalf of the people of Ontario is authentic, honest and true,” says Beth Hanna, CEO of the Ontario Heritage Trust. “It’s part of a larger conversation about how we tell the stories of Ontario’s past and whose legacy we portray. “Whose stories are we telling, whose heritage are we actually protecting? And what is missing from this dialogue?’ Hannah adds. Henson founded the Dawn Settlement in 1841 about a decade after escaping slavery in Kentucky by fleeing to Canada via the Underground Railroad. His journey served as the inspiration for the central character in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin. “The man who became known as Uncle Tom, the real man, Josiah Henson was born in Maryland. He did escape from Kentucky and live here with his roommate Josiah Henson,” says site director Stephen Cook. Henson created 300 acres of land and personally traveled back and forth via the Underground Railroad to free more than 100 others. At its peak, the settlement of Dawn was said to be home to 500 black settlers. “He started a safe haven for them here in Dresden, a school and a settlement that helped them improve themselves, get an education because he knew that education was really the key to their success,” Cook says. Henson died and was buried on this land in 1883, but various landowners have maintained Henson’s legacy to this day. Five generations of Henson’s family were on hand for Saturday’s renaming ceremony and Emancipation Day celebration. “Having them consistently present in the work we do is incredibly important to us,” Hanna said. “And it validates and supports us and encourages us in the work that we’re trying to do.” According to Cook, the future is bright for the newly named museum to not only focus on the Methodist preacher, but also on the central role he played in shaping African Canadian history in Canada. “The real story from the 1800s and the life that Josiah Henson lived, that’s what we’re focusing on,” says Cook. “We are not changing history. We’re just saying it and keeping it in context.”
