UNCLE TOM's CABIN

WHILE HOMESCHOOLING DURING COVID the project of history lessons, reading and learning from stories read to him. It was an attempt at helping him adjust to being among other people in school and otherwise social structure in public spaces. For my grandson who has always lived in a one-child household, it was made to be his biggest challenge. We called it "comprehension." His storybook focus was derived from the likes of AESOP'S FABLES, UNCLE TOM'S CABIN, BOYS IN THE GRAVEYARD (from the local library), and several other stories relaying social ethics and social relationships with people outside of the immediate family. His list was to include TOM SAWYER, but the antics heard in the other tales had me cut the project short. The question of where Tom's cabin was and "could we go there" caused a snag in the literary portion of the education program. For a second grade elementary literary English and social studies package, visitation to such properties as would be managed by one such as Uncle Tom was an undying question and an undying quest for "how to." I looked up the project house to discover he was very well endowed with property. There are actually several mentions of the location of an Uncle Tom's Cabin.

Is Uncle Tom's Cabin a real place?

For a visit to the Real 'Uncle Tom's Cabin, the fictional Uncle Tom's Cabin inspired by a real memoir by Harriet Beecher Stowe, there is the Maryland cabin where Josiah Henson lived as a slave which was sold to the county to become an interpretative park. The UNCLE TOMs CABIN historic site is an open air museum, a museum that exhibits collections of buildings and artifacts out-of-doors. It is also frequently known as a museum of buildings or a folk museum. The historic site is situated on the grounds of the former Dawn settlement established by Henson; a former slave, abolitionist, and minister. Through his autobiography, The Life of Josiah Henson, Formerly a Slave, Now an Inhabitant of Canada, as Narrated by Himself is a slave narrative written by Josiah Henson, who would later become famous for being the basis of the title character from Harriet Beecher Stowe's 1852 novel Uncle Tom's Cabin opens on the Shelby plantation in Kentucky as two enslaved people, Tom and 4-year old Harry, are sold to pay Shelby family debts. The story focuses on Tom, a strong, religious man living with his wife, his three young children, and Eliza, his mother. To travel to "the actual spot" is an intangible outing, but can be experienced through touring the staged set.

BUT THEN there's always the option to visit Uncle Tom's Cabin... settled on 11.3 acres and 1,800 feet of river frontage surrounding the property on three sides. Multiple, private walking paths through the overall 32-acre property, some leading to a private spring-fed pond, nestled in the forest, perfect for ice skating in Grayling, Michigan.

(Uncle Tom really got around)

We altered out of the trip to validate the social discomforts felt by the persons of this book because there were actually too many locations to wonder at. The interest expressed was a desired result, as were the questions surrounding what happened and why in the other stories read together. Unless you are a parent/grandparent open to tossing your second grand grandchild into a floatable... the story calls for a raft... don't rationalize using a canoe when demonstrating the wiles of Tom Sawyer... I recommend NOT COVERING this TOM. It's a tale of two Toms, take the safe one and visit once in your lifetime, but be ready to explain why it was a challenging lifestyle. Remember, there were three or more homes to the name.

If you are out to find the true place to demonstrate life, ethics and history for your homeschooler or just as a family outing, do not go to the Michigan site. It was made for outdoor entertainment and camping and Uncle Tom of this story didn't go there!