Josiah Henson Museum of African-Canadian HistoryDoors Open Chatham-Kent
New
- Guided tours available
- Parking
- Site has blue and gold provincial plaque
- Site is protected by the Ontario Heritage Trust
- Washrooms
- Photography allowed
Take a guided tour through the museum gallery, historical buildings and cemeteries. At the top of each hour, visitors are invited to examine three rarely seen artifacts and uncover the stories behind them with a museum guide. Visitors can also cast a vote to help select an artifact from storage for museum staff to prepare for a future exhibit.
Josiah Henson, an African American who escaped plantation slavery in the United States via the Underground Railroad, purchased this property in 1841 and established the Dawn Settlement, a refuge for fugitives from slavery who escaped to Canada. Today, the site is a museum, owned and operated by the Ontario Heritage Trust. During Digital Doors Open, take a virtual tour of the site in the video below, or book a live, interactive virtual tour here. Explore Ontario’s Black heritage through this online resource. Watch this moving documentary on the life of Henson (narrated by Danny Glover and directed by Jared Brock). And explore the site digitally through a series of virtual tours found here.
Contact info
29251 Freedom RoadDresden, Ontario
https://www.heritagetrust.on.ca/en/properties/josiah-henson-museum
Architecture
Year built: 1840sBuilding type:Museum
Dates/hours open
Oct 03, 10:00am - Oct 03, 04:00pmSaturday: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Last tour at 3:25 p.m.)