Penn Center
Explore Gullah History
The Penn Center is a 50-acre historic district including 25 buildings and structures on beautiful St. Helena Island, South Carolina. Surrounded by marsh and massive live oaks, the campus was home to one of the nation's first schools for formerly enslaved people. It is a significant African American institution rich with history. Check out Local Fun for more off-island adventures while enjoying your Fripp Island Vacation.
As you start your exploration, visit the Courtney P. Siceloff Welcome Center and Gift Shop, located with the York W. Bailey Museum. There you will find original artwork, books, music, and many other gifts.
Discover and celebrate the Sea Islands and Lowcountry African American culture known as Gullah Geechee. Tours are offered throughout the year and Penn Center hosts the annual Heritage Days Celebration each fall.
Penn Center
16 Penn Center Circle West
St. Helena Island, SC 29920
843-838-7105
• Lowcountry •
Girls Trip 2021 - We explored the Sea Islands, Beaufort, and Port Royal. We stayed in the town where Harriet Tubman led the union forces and freed over 700 enslaved people. We saw two church ruins that are well over 200 years old. We visited the Penn Center where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gathered with other civil rights activists. The same place that was the first school for formally enslaved individuals in the United States and where he wrote a portion of his “I Have A Dream” speech. We explored the very area that is the heart of the Gullah culture and learned so much about the history of the Gullah Geechee culture. On our very last day, we even got to eat authentic Gullah food at The Gullah Grub.
The humidity was painful but the sights were stunning, the people were kind and welcoming, and the entire area was rich with history.
#lowcountry #seaislands #gullahgeechee #gullahgrub #penncenter #portroyal #beaufortsc #girlstrip
Good times today at Penn Center with the summer campers! Thanks for having us. #shiftwork #firefighter #firedepartment #fireman #firefighters #fd #lishfd #penncenter #sthelena #summercamp #2017 #hot #june #kids #firetruck #shift2 #224 #2 #publiceducation ffemt255 scotth1010 maliek_rashaud bctaylor22
Yesterday welcomed in the 37th Annual Penn Center Heritage Days Celebration, a three-day event dedicated to honoring Penn School, the history, and the culture of the Gullah Geechee people, bringing friends and families back to Penn Center located on St. Helena Island. Throughout the weekend, special events will take place, such as cultural demonstrations, re-enactments, a parade, and a craft fair. And we must not forget the food. All off the delicious food!
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In order to celebrate this beautiful occasion I decided to write a short blog about my experience working on The Gullah Project. I discuss how I actually got involved with the project, how I was awarded a Magellan Grant to work on the film, and what it was like to document the 32nd Annual Heritage Days Celebration. Check it out! Link in bio.
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Photo captions:
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1. Penn Center formally Penn School.
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2. Screen grab from a time lapse shot over the Johnson’s booth.
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3. Bts photo of me climbing a tree to set the GoPro.
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4. Bts photo before filming the Road to Remembrance
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5&6. The cabin that Martin Luther King Jr. stayed in while writing his “I have a dream speech.” Located at Penn Center.
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7. My UofSC 2015 Discovery Day badge.
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8. Presenting at 2015 Discovery Day.
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#StHelenaIsland #HeritageDays #Gullah #GullahGeechee #GullahGone #SCFilm #PennSchool #PennCenter #SCHistory #thegullahproject #travelblog #travelblogger #DiscoverSC #travelSC #exploreSC #DiscoveryDay #UofSC #nationallandmark #gullahgeecheecorridor #coastalregion
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Random water tower pic. I like them for some odd reason. I believe this was at the Penn Center on Saint Helena Island, SC
#watertowerpics #watertower #penncenter #sthelenaisland #southcarolina #lowcountry #gullah #discoversc #onlyinsouthcarolina #patina_perfection #beaufortsc #luvbft #shutterbug_collective #ipulledoverforthis #hey_ihadtosnapthat #raw_usa #trb_rurex #just_unitedstates #myrustyfix #rustlord #fx_hdr #discover_carolinas #backroad_visions #photo_hitchhiker #g_s_i #grime_reapers #everything_imaginable #tv_pointofview #jj_travelogue #exploresc
HISTORY: Visited St Helena Island SC today. We visited the Penn Center - lots of Gullah history there. It was a school for freed slaves. This place grew over the years and became a trade school for negroes. This cottage is the Gantt Cottage. Martin Luther King Jr.spent time there from 1963-67. It was a retreat and a place for him to work. He wrote the "I have a dream" speech in this very cottage. It was awesome to stand on the porch where MLK Jr stood. #history #simpleliving #south #penncenter #freedom #historicalsites
Vincent Kling, Municipal Building #philadelphia #penncenter
While campaigning for Pete Buttigieg last year in South Carolina, I took the opportunity to visit Gantt Cottage at Penn Center on St. Helena Island. This place served as an interracial gathering place for leaders during the civil rights movement and a secret safe haven for Martin Luther King Jr. As I stood on sacred ground and took in the profound history of a tumultuous time period an inexplicable feeling came over me. Behind the walls of Gantt cottage, MLK penned the start to his famous “I Have a Dream” speech and devised solutions to inequality. On this day, I am reminded of the progress that has been made as well as the realization that so much work remains. It is up to all of us to carry on his mission and break down the barriers that obstruct meaningful, lasting change.
#architecture #archilovers #hallway #ludwigfilter #snapseed #penncenter #visitphilly #redcarpet #readingterminalmarket #lifeisajourney #philadelphia #usa
#art #penncenter #beaufortsc #artlife #oil penn center was the first formal school for African Americans I painted this during a revival of sorts celebrating its heritage
Visit the York W. Bailey Museum to discover the 86-year history of Penn Center beginning in 1862 through the reconstruction era. Before the museum's dedication it was known as the Cope Industrial Shop, built to house classes in trades such as blacksmithing, basketry, cobbling, harness making and carpentry.
