This house belonged to James Harris and his family, who are believed to be descendants of Weldon Harris, an African American who came to Canada and in 1825 purchased 50 acres on Lot 3, Concession 3 in Camden Township. Weldon Harris made . . . — — Map (db m78404) HM
English
Built in the mid-19th century, this house was the last residence of Josiah Henson and his second wife, Nancy Gambril, who lived in it until Henson’s death in 1883. Henson’s house was substantial in size compared to other . . . — — Map (db m78387) HM
After escaping to Upper Canada from slavery in Kentucky, the Reverend Josiah Henson became a conductor of the Underground Railroad and a force in the abolition movement. The founder of the Black settlement of Dawn, he was also an . . . — — Map (db m78377) HM
This area was once covered in a thick, growth of trees including black walnut, maple, beech, elm and white oak. To make use of these natural resources, Josiah Henson and his sons used donations from benefactors in Boston to build a . . . — — Map (db m78402) HM
Built around 1850, this modest rural church was moved from Mersea Township to this site in the 1960s and is representative of the churches in which Reverend Henson preached while living at Dawn.
Reverend Josiah Henson was most . . . — — Map (db m78388) HM
In the 1830s, the Reverend Josiah Henson and other abolitionists sought ways to provide refugees from slavery with the education and skills they needed to become self-sufficient in Upper Canada. They purchased 200 acres of land here in . . . — — Map (db m78376) HM
In 1846 Daniel van Allen, a Chatham merchant, laid out a town plot on land purchased from Jared Lindsley, the first settler (1825) on the site of Dresden. By 1849 the erection of a steam sawmill, and the operation a grist-mill in the neighbouring . . . — — Map (db m78416) HM