Dig Deeper into the life and history of Josiah Henson with the resources below.
- The Life of Josiah Henson, Formerly a Slave, Now an Inhabitant of Canada, as Narrated by Himself
- Truth Stranger Than Fiction Father Henson's Story of His Own Life
- An Autobiography of the Rev. Josiah Henson ("Uncle Tom") From 1789 to 1881
- Young People's Illustrated Edition "Uncle Tom's Story of His Life (1789 to 1877) " John Lobb, F.R.G.S. (1877)
Purchase Josiah Henson’s Biography
Sharp Flashes of Lightning Come from Black Clouds: The Life of Josiah Henson
by Jamie Ferguson Kuhns
An in-depth biography, Sharp Flashes of Lightning Come from Black Clouds: The Life of Josiah Henson, details the life of Reverend Josiah Henson based on Henson’s autobiography and primary source documents. Written by Montgomery Parks’ Senior Historian, Jamie Ferguson Kuhns, this book documents over 10 years of research.
This book is a comprehensive portrait of Reverend Henson and the 19th-century world in which he lived. It does not shy away from the details of slavery on a Maryland plantation – as told in Henson’s own voice.
While exploring Reverend Henson’s role as an inspiration for Harriet Beecher Stowe’s 19th-century landmark novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, this publication presents Henson as the real person rather than a fictional character.
Sharp Flashes of Lightning Come from Black Clouds will complement the visitor experience at the soon-to-be-built Josiah Henson Museum & Park in North Bethesda, Maryland. This site is the former Isaac Riley Plantation where Henson was enslaved for more than 30 years.
Hardcover Edition: $39.99, plus tax and shipping
Available also at these local retailers:
- Brookside Gardens Gift Shop, 1800 Glenallan Avenue, Wheaton, MD 20902
- Woodlawn Museum Gift Shop, 16501 Norwood Road, Sandy Spring, MD 20860
- Josiah Henson Museum and Park, 11410 Old Georgetown Road, North Bethesda MD 20852
- Montgomery County Historical Society, 111 W Montgomery Ave, Rockville, MD 20850
- Montpelier Mansion Gift Shop, 9650 Muirkirk Road, Laurel, MD 20708
- Peerless Rockville Gift Shop, (Historic Red Brick Courthouse) 29 Courthouse Square, Room 110, Rockville, MD 20850
Learn more about the archaeological investigations
Clothing fasteners recovered from Josiah Henson Museum and Park
Montgomery Park’s Archaeology Team has conducted archaeological investigations on the site since 2009 as part of the stewardship of the property and later, development of the Museum.
The excavations have focused on uncovering any material culture remains of the enslaved population that lived and worked on this property. Fieldwork has revealed that parts of the Riley plantation survive intact, covered by the green lawns of modern residential lots, including foundations of former structures and many thousand 19th century artifacts. The site has been continuously occupied for almost 200 hundred years, and the features and artifacts reflect the property’s transition from plantation to tenant farm, to suburban development, and now, to public Museum
We are currently progressing with the analysis of all the recovered material and the preparation of a technical report.
Learn more about the Montgomery Parks Archaeology Program.
Visit the Josiah Henson Museum of African-Canadian History, Ontario, Canada
Trace Reverend Henson’s footsteps to his final home in Ontario Canada. Visit Josiah Henson Museum of African-Canadian History to learn more about Reverend Henson’s life and work at Dawn Settlement in Canada.