African American History in Montgomery County

Did you know that...

Montgomery County, MD was part of the Underground Railroad network, which helped runaway slaves find freedom?
Josiah Henson, who worked as a slave on a county plantation, later published an autobiography that influenced the abolition of slavery?
Because of the community of Quakers living in the Sandy Spring area, many slaves were freed as early as the 1820s, 40 years before the Civil War?

In honor of Black History Month, we’d like to share the extraordinary stories behind some of Montgomery County’s African American historical sites and provide resources and links to explore them further. Each of these Montgomery Parks sites have been or are in the process of being restored. Visitors can gain insight into life as an African American in centuries past, reflecting on the brutality of slavery in colonial America, while also learning about the rich cultural practices of African Americans passed down to later generations.

This log cabin, built in 1850,
was used as a kitchen on the Riley Plantation.

Josiah Henson was born into slavery in 1789. As a child, he moved to Montgomery County as the property of Isaac Riley. In 1830 he and his family escaped to Canada. There, Reverend Henson formed a community for escaped slaves and later became a ‘conductor’ on the Underground Railroad. He also wrote his autobiography, The Life of Josiah Henson, Formerly a Slave, Now an Inhabitant of Canada, as Narrated by Himself, which was published in 1849. Later editions included an introduction by author Harriet Beecher Stowe, who drew on Henson’s experiences for her own book, Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Learn more about Henson and Stowe from MCPL’s biography databases.

Montgomery County acquired the Riley home in 2006. The log cabin dates back to 1850 and was built after Henson escaped, but ongoing archeological excavations are underway to locate the slave quarters that may have housed Henson. At this time, the Josiah Henson Park is open only for special events and school visits. The next special event is Walking Father Henson's Footsteps. Visitors can retrace the footsteps of Reverend Josiah Henson from his enslavement to his escape and freedom in Canada. This event takes place on Saturday, February 24, 2018.

One of the remaining slave quarters
in Montgomery County, MD.

The Oakley Cabin African American Museum & Park is only 2 miles from Olney Library, just west of Brookeville, MD. Originally built as one of three cabins in the early 19th century, this home was part of a larger farm owned by the Brooke family. Before emancipation, slaves lived here and helped run Oakley Farm. Census records reveal that from 1880 to 1930, African American and white laborers, farm workers, blacksmiths, and other craftspeople resided here. Historians believe they formed a community that sold produce and hand-made items to travelers along busy Brookeville Road. The cabin remained occupied until the 1970s.

The Oakley Cabin has been restored and is now a museum that displays historical tools and artifacts used in the 19th century, such as a coin and crystal found buried by the back door, an African tradition. Visitors can get a sense of life during the Civil War, Reconstruction and beyond. The museum is open April through November. Special programs are planned annually and school group visits can be arranged. Learn more about slavery in Maryland from resources in MCPL’s print collection and our online resources.

Trail Entrance to the Underground
Railroad Experience Trail

The Quakers, a Christian movement first started in England, built a thriving community around Sandy Spring, Brookeville and Olney, MD, from the early 18th century. Because of their anti-violence beliefs, Quakers didn’t participate in wars. They were also early abolitionists who established “one of the largest land-owning African American communities in Maryland” (Sandy Spring Museum). Quakers were active in the Underground Railroad, helping runaway slaves escape to freedom. See MCPL’s resources about the Quakers and the Underground Railroad. Please also visit our research databases, such as the Oxford African American Studies Center.

This 3-story stone barn was converted
into an interactive visitors center.

The Woodlawn Manor Cultural Park consists of several buildings built by Quakers in the 19th century. A multimedia visitors center, housed in an 1832 stone barn, opened in the summer 2016. Each floor displays a different aspect of life, from managing a large plantation to working on the Underground Railroad. The center also hosts a two-mile Underground Railroad Experience Trail that gives visitors a chance to experience the dangers confronted by escaped slaves and the skills needed to survive in the wild. The trail and grounds are open year-round. The Woodlawn Manor House and the Woodlawn Museum are open on limited days and times from spring through fall.

Learn more about MCPL’s programs in celebration of Black History Month. You can also learn more about local African American history and culture from the Montgomery County Historical Society.

REFERENCES

Montgomery Parks website

Hembree, Michael. "Josiah Henson." Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History, Gale, 2006. Biography in Context, Accessed 30 Jan. 2017.

"Josiah Henson." Contemporary Black Biography, vol. 90, Gale, 2011. Biography in Context, Accessed 30 Jan. 2017.

Oakley Cabin Trail Map

Sandy Spring Museum website

Shin, Annys. “After Buying Historic Home, Md. Officials Find It Wasn't Really Uncle Tom's Cabin.” Washington Post. October 3, 2010.

Tousignant, Marylou. “Historic Barn Tells the Story of the Underground Railroad in Maryland.” Washington Post. August 15, 2016.

Walston, Mark. “Where Slavery Slept: A Few Dozen Remaining Slave Quarters Remind Us of a Dismal Chapter in Our County’s Past.” Bethesda Magazine. November-December 2009.

Labels: Books, Databases, History