Honoring the Legacy of an Abolitionist Hero The Josiah Henson Visitor Center Opens in By Karen Schulte and Matt Velky

he Montgomery County building remnants of the plantation. work as an abolitionist. He travelled Department of Parks has With the rehabilitation of both struc - and lectured widely, and as a conductor Trecently completed an impor - tures, along with the addition of the on the , he tant restoration and expansion project new visitor center, the Department of assisted many others to escape. In at the Josiah Henson Museum and Parks is now able to offer a 1849, Henson published his auto - Park in North Bethesda, Maryland. comprehensive chronicle of Henson’s biography, The Life of Josiah Henson, The historical property, which honors life, as well as an overview of what life Formerly a Slave, Now an Inhabitant the life and legacy of noted abolitionist was like as an enslaved person on a of Canada, as Narrated by Himself . Josiah Henson, now features a new 19th-century Maryland plantation. The book is widely believed to have visitor center to complement the park’s inspired ’s early 19th-century home and mid-19th- An Inspired Leader best -selling novel, ’s Cabin . century log kitchen. The home and Born enslaved in 1789 in Charles kitchen have also been fully restored Transforming the and transformed with comprehensive County, Maryland, Josiah Henson was new exhibits and interpretive elements. separated from his family at a young Plantation Site Set within a busy suburban com - age. He labored on the Riley plan - The Riley-Bolton House is estimated munity just outside Washington, D.C., tation from 1795 until 1830, when to have been constructed between the park preserves approximately three he escaped to Canada with his wife 1800 and 1815. Between 1850 and acres of the former Isaac Riley planta - and four children by following the 1851, the log-house kitchen wing was tion, where Henson was enslaved for Underground Railroad. added. The wood-frame home was many years until he escaped to Canada Henson, who had become a renovated in the late 1930s in a Colonial in 1830. The historical home—known Methodist preacher while still enslaved, Revival style. Both buildings appear as the Riley-Bolton House—and log established a Black settlement in on the National Register of Historic kitchen wing are the only remaining Canada, and began his remaining life’s Places and serve as the center piece

The Josiah Henson Museum and Park features interpretive exhibits in the restored home and log kitchen, as well as throughout the grounds of the former plantation.

34 PAPYRUS APRIL 2021 of the park experience for visitors. Architects. “It was important to place to have this log kitchen, house, and Recognizing the significance of this the visitor center on the site in such a the archaeological remnants of this historical place and Henson’s remark - way that it would reinforce exploration important site set within this busy able life, the Montgomery County and discovery. Together, the buildings community context.” Department of Parks determined that are scaled as a village of small houses. a comprehensive restoration was in “The family house is clad in white, A Delicate Installation order, along with the addition of a so we decided to design the exterior Ziger says the interior restoration stand-alone visitor center. of the visitor center in a dark cedar work also required a meticulous The county selected the firm of shake material that related to the log design approach, as the home and Ziger|Snead Architects, supported by kitchen, as a way of referencing and kitchen remain as the most important the mechanical /electrical engineering honoring Reverend Henson. The historical elements. “Mueller Associates firm of Mueller Associates, to design form of the visitor center also works in was challenged to incorporate the the renovation of the historical build - dialogue with the house and kitchen. mechanical systems and make them ings, as well as the new visitor center. We used plywood on the interior of disappear,” he adds. Additional design consultants include the visitor center, which speaks to the The original plans had to be Floura Teeter Landscape Architects, craft and materiality of the kitchen. consistently modified because, once AMT Engineering for civil engineering, Outside, there is seating crafted from the walls were opened up, it was a Simpson Gumpertz & Heger for locally hewn trees, which is also a Pandora’s box. The historical home structural engineering, and Jensen visual reference to the kitchen.” contained several levels of structural Hughes for fire and life safety systems. Ziger notes that the house and the design. Given that the home was built The home and log kitchen wing kitchen are part of a larger historical and modified during different eras, now accommodate exhibits, created site, which also informed the overall the structural methods were inconsis - by Proun Design, that detail Josiah approach to preparing the property for tent, with some joists running from Henson’s life, what it was like to work more visitors, including school groups. north-to-south, and others from east- as an enslaved person on a plantation, “We worked closely with Floura Teeter, to-west. Some were even wooden logs the risks of escape, and the journey the landscape architect, to devise a path supporting the first floor, as irregular along the Underground Railroad. “This to orient visitors. It was chal lenging to as they were when chopped down in museum and park honor a man who work around the site’s many architec - the forest. Each joist had to be field- was truly remarkable,” says Steve Ziger, tural remnants, including an old road measured. The walls featured a maze FAIA, a partner with Ziger|Snead that was discovered. It is interesting of studs and cross-members. Through diligent field inspections, the architecture and engineering teams devised a series of clever and customized solutions to modernize the home. The design team also worked closely with the contractor, CFI Construction Corporation, to adapt the design as existing conditions were revealed. Mapping new systems to fit within the complex structural web was critical to ensuring that they remained concealed and invisible to the public. To minimize interventions that would detract from the home’s historical integrity, Mueller’s team also con - verted an unused basement into the mechanical room, housing equipment New exhibits chronicle Henson’s life, and describe what life was like for an enslaved person away from public view while allowing working on a 19th-century plantation. for ease of access and maintenance.

PAPYRUS APRIL 2021 35 “This was a delicate installation, stories that are inherent in these as so much about the building was buildings and this site,” says Ziger. unknown,” says Dan Carmine, PE, “Our team was “It’s powerful when architecture can LEED AP, Mueller’s project manager. become part of the storytelling, along “During construction, as walls were very proud to help with the exhibits. This property is an opened and more of the structure was important reminder of the history we all revealed, we had to quickly redesign reveal, through share. We’re creating an environment much of the ductwork routing. The design, the that will inform generations.” building itself is an artifact, and “This is a public museum that cele - preservation was a priority.” incredible stories brates the challenging and inspiring life of the Reverend Josiah Henson, Revealing History that are inherent who inspired the fictional character Through Design of Uncle Tom,” says Shirl Spicer, in these buildings countywide museum manager for the The 3,000-square-foot visitor center Maryland-National Park and Planning accommodates a theater that introduces and this site” Commission, Department of Parks, visitors to Henson and the property Montgomery County. “This museum with a short orientation film. The helps bring his autobiography to life, and theater doubles as a meeting space describes what a life of enslave ment that is available for community use. was like in the .” There is also a ticketing area, gift the outdoors; the park remains open shop, and restrooms. Visitors arrive to the public even when the museum Karen Schulte PE, CPD, LEED AP BD+C, at the new center first, then view the is closed. is a project manager and Matt Velky, P.E., exhibits in the Riley-Bolton House. “Our team was very proud to help is a mechanical project engineer with The interpretive exhibits extend to reveal, through design, the incredible Mueller Associates

Housing the mechanical equipment in the As construction began and the home’s structure was revealed, engineers quickly basement helped keep new systems hidden adapted the renovation design to install new systems carefully within the from the public. historical building.

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