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Uncle Tom's Cabin (the Riley House)

The Riley House/Uncle Tom's Cabin

Uncle Tom’s Cabin (the Riley House)
11420 Old Georgetown Road
Bethesda, MD 20852
For more information: 301-650-4373

NOTE: It is presently anticipated that the site will be open to the public on a regular basis by 2010. In the meantime, there will be limited seasonal openings of the site that will be advertised on the Web site as well as local newspapers.

Upcoming Events

“Meeting Josiah Henson”

  • Saturday, June 28 - Noon - 1:15pm, panel discussion. 1:30pm -4:00 p.m., tours of the cabin. The panel discussion is free and open to the public, but limited to the first 200 people to arrive. Advance registration is required for the tours of the cabin. - more info
    To reserve your tour time please go to www.ParkPass.org.

Uncle Tom's Cabin and Riley House Tours

  • Sunday, June 29 - Noon - 4:00 p.m. Part of the Countywide Heritage Days event, sponsored by the Heritage Tourism Alliance of Montgomery County - more info

History

The Riley House/Uncle Tom's Cabin is a historic resource of local, state, national and international significance because of its association with Reverend Josiah Henson, whose 1849 autobiography inspired Harriet Beecher Stowe's landmark novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin. The Riley farm was where Henson lived and worked as a slave from 1795 to 1825. The existing frame building, possibly dating to the late 18th century, was the Riley home. The log wing was used as a kitchen in the early 20th century and may have been a kitchen in Henson’s time.

In his autobiographies, Henson specifically describes a kitchen at the Riley House on his return from Kentucky “…with its earth floor, its filth and its stench,” as a particularly unpleasant place. Many of his experiences of living as a slave on the Riley property are vividly depicted in his autobiographies and are recreated in Stowe's novel. Henson eventually escaped to Canada, where he established a fugitive slave community called Dawn and became a preacher, speaker and writer. He returned to the United States several times between 1831 and 1865 as a conductor on the Underground Railroad.

The impact of Stowe's novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin, cannot be underestimated. Published in 1852, it broke all sales records of the time and sold over half a million copies by 1857. It inspired and enflamed the abolitionist movement in the mid-19th century and many believe it helped to propel the American Civil War.

Because of the historical associations of the Riley House/ Uncle Tom's Cabin, there is perhaps no property in Montgomery County that conjures up images of slavery and the slave experience as much as this resource. The goal for the interpretation of the Riley House/ Uncle Tom's Cabin is to accurately portray Henson’s life and the Maryland slave experience as well as to explore the impact of Stowe’s novel. The realization of this goal will have a permanent educational benefit.

The Riley House/Uncle Tom’s Cabin had been in private ownership for its entire history, until it was acquired by the Montgomery County Department of Parks, part of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) in January, 2006. The building and site are protected by public ownership and M-NCPPC is committed to being an excellent steward of this resource.

Despite the resource’s tremendous history, there had never been a systematic, comprehensive effort to research the property’s origins, physical materials, or archaeological yield. Therefore, M-NCPPC has contracted John Milner and Associates to complete the necessary investigations. Their experienced and well-qualified historians, public historian, architectural historians, buildings materials specialists, and archaeologists are currently involved in a detailed analysis of the building and grounds which should be complete by the spring of 2008.

After this first phase, a “Design Phase” will follow that will look into all of the issues surrounding the conversion of the site from a private dwelling into a public cultural resource.

Last Updated: May 1, 2008