The Penn Center on St. Helena Island is a National Historic Landmark, and one of the most significant African-American cultural and educational institutions in the nation.
A visit to the Penn Center will educate you to the amazing and inspiring history of the freedmen that lived in Beaufort County during the Civil War. Today, the Penn Center not only preserves their sacred history, but also promotes it through special programs and events.
The Center was established early in the Civil War before emancipation in order to educate freed slaves in the Union Army territory along the Port Royal Sound Sea Islands. This great undertaking was called The Port Royal Experiment, and was championed by abolitionists and several churches from Pennsylvania. The Port Royal Experiment’s original classes started in a single room on the Oaks Plantation and soon grew to fill the Brick Baptist Church.
In 1864, a prefabricated building was sent from Pennsylvania and placed on a 50-acre tract of land adjacent to the Brick Church. Today the Penn Center still sits on this same land.
One significant teacher was Laura M. Towne who spent 40 years dedicated to the Center. Visitors can make an appointment to access the Laura M. Towne Archives and Library which feature one of the oldest collections of photography of African-Americans in the country and her priceless diary, books, and audio recordings. The Penn Center also served as the annual meeting place for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Christian Leadership Conference.
Many local historical tours companies in this area offer guided tours to the Center. In addition, the grounds are designed for self-guided tours. Not only can you walk the grounds, but the Center also invites visitors to the Conference Center and York W. Bailey Museum. The Museum is open Monday through Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with admission fees. The Conference Center offers guests lodging and meeting facilities.
To get to the Center, follow Hwy. 21 South out of Beaufort onto St. Helena Island. Take a right onto Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and continue until you see the Penn School Historic District.
For further information, contact the Penn Center at 843-838-2432
www.penncenter.com
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Source:
101 Things To Do on Hilton Head Island, the Low Country and Savannah, Spring/Summer, 2011
We also visited nearby Gullah Grub Restaurant to taste some of the fine Gullah cooking. Delicious!
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