Happenings

Dating back more than 150 years, every Bethesda resident is well aware that our city is chock-full of historic charm and a storied American past on every block. At our local museums, you can learn all about it firsthand and get a lesson far beyond the classroom. 

Right around the corner from your Elm apartment, there are tons of museums that can entertain the whole family ranging from those oriented for kids to those on historic homesteads. Check these museums out this weekend.

Josiah Henson Museum & Park, located at 11410 Old Georgetown Rd, North Bethesda which is 12 minutes from your Elm apartment, is the former plantation property of Isaac Riley where Reverend Josiah Henson was enslaved.

This park is a historic resource of local, state, national and international significance because of its association with Reverend Henson, whose 1849 autobiography, The Life of Josiah Henson, Formerly a Slave, Now an Inhabitant of Canada inspired Harriet Beecher Stowe’s landmark novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

Clara Barton National Historic Site, located at 5801 Oxford Rd, Glen Echo which is 10 minutes from your Elm apartment, includes the Clara Barton House which was established in 1974 to interpret the life of Clara Barton, an American pioneer teacher, nurse, and humanitarian who was the founder of the American Red Cross.

Clara Barton dedicated her life and energies to help others in times of need – both home and abroad, in peacetime as well as during military emergencies. Glen Echo was her home the last 15 years of her life and the structure illustrates her dedication and concern for those less fortunate than herself.

Josiah Henson Museum & Park

11410 Old Georgetown Rd, North Bethesda, MD 20852

(301) 765-8790

Clara Barton National Historic Site

5801 Oxford Rd, Glen Echo, MD 20812

(301) 320-1410