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
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#philadelphia #dawntown #philadelphiadowntown #rittinhouse #rittinhousesquare #phillyphilly #philly #penncenter #13thstreet #flexonfriday #superkickscommunity offkicksinc culturecircle_
Cottage on St. Helena Island, SC. #lowcountry #gullah #penncenter #mrunderhills_universe
I’ve often said the phrase, “Education is the route out of slavery.” That history is alive on St. Helena island at the Penn Center Campus and Reconstruction Era NHP where teachers influenced thousands. Walking where Dr. King and civil rights leaders moved a nation and those who today preserve the traditions of the Gullah people.
#gullahgeechee #gullah #sthelenaisland #penncenter #reconstruction #humanrights #civilrights #livinghistory #tradition #americanhistory #spirituals
#robertadams #director #penncenter #blesshim🪬🙏🏽💙
Small stop on the way. #springbreak2023 #chapelofease #penncenter
Orange was the color of the weekend in The Lowcountry with the Gullah Geechee!
The purpose of my visit was to attend the 40th Annual Penn Center Heritage Days on St. Helena Island. The Penn School is one of the oldest schools for freed slaves. I hadn’t been since high school so attending this milestone year was important.
During my trip I also visited the International African-American Museum in Charleston. Truly remarkable and I will be taking another trip to soak up all of our rich history.
And of course I visited my old church Lady’s Island Baptist which was founded at the end of the Civil War!
It was so great seeing former colleagues, schoolmates, friends while also making new connections. I’m always in awe and love to brag about the heritage of the Gullah Geechee as they continue efforts to protect their land and preserve their heritage.
Check out the flags of The Gullah People. Hey cousins!
The highlight of my weekend was during the parade being able walk up to a float passing out fresh watermelon. Because only at Heritage!
#GullahGeechee #Gullah #GullahLove #Geechee #StHelena #Charleston #Beaufort #PennCenter #PennCenter1862
"Charlotte Forten Grimké grew up in a rich intellectual & activist environment. Born into a wealthy Black abolitionist family in Philadelphia, PA Ms. Forten became famous in her own right as a writer and poet. Her grandparents, James, Sr. and Charlotte Forten, hosted leading black and white abolitionists into their home on a regular basis. James Forten was one of the wealthiest blacks in Philadelphia, having amassed a fortune in the sail making business. Her parents, Robert Bridges Forten & Mary Woods Forten, continued the family’s activist tradition as had her uncles and aunts, including Sarah, Harriet, and Margaretta Forten, who helped establish the bi-racial Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society."
During her early years and academic training, Charlotte was very accustomed to eating the very best that the gastronomical arts had to offer. She went from the lavish life of an elite, sophisticated family setting to the plantations of St. Helena Island, as the Civil War was still being fought, which was a tremendous transition. On St. Helena Island she lived on a farm, very near her food sources among people who just a few months were in bondage. She heard the Gullah language spoken, ate meals prepared by Gullah people, listened to songs in Gullah, experienced a ring shout and met a few people who remembered Africa. Join us as we celebrate the bravery and determination of this young woman who came here to work to improve the condition of the Black people she encountered.
“Let me not forget again that I came not here for friendly sympathy or for anything else but to work, and to work hard. Let me do that faithfully and well.” Charlotte Forten Grimké
We`ve tested the meats that have been smoked in our new smokehouse. This family tradition has been revitalized by Tony and his Uncles. If you enjoy smoked meats you`re in for a treat.
Click on the QR code or visit website for ticket information.
#charlotteforten #abolition #abolitionist #educator #teacher #ushistory #schistory #beaufortsc #sthelenaislandsc #penncenter #civilwar #civilwarhistory #smokehouse #smokedbacon
Yee, S. (2007, January 17). Charlotte Forten Grimké (1837-1914). BlackPast.org.
Gantt Cottage at Penn Center. The March on Washinton was planned and Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I have a Dream” speech (sadly often the only line remembered or known) was written here.
#icm #penncenter #mlk
Formerly The Penn School, The Penn Center is an African American cultural and educational center located on St. Helena Island, South Carolina. In 1862 during the second year of the Civil War, the U.S. Navy captured the island from Confederate forces. With that capture, 32,530 enslaved African Americans suddenly found themselves free people. Northern abolitionists recognized the need to educate the freedmen and believed that what they did here would become a model for helping freedpeople become full citizens across the United States. Abolitionists raised donations which were sent to the island and some Northerners arrived to oversee what would be one of the first examples of Reconstruction even as the Civil War continued. The donations allowed schools to be set up to educate the ex-slaves.
The first classes were held in the living room of the abandoned Oaks Plantation before a school house was built. As more donations came in, land was purchased from plantation owners who had abandoned the island, and buildings were erected. The Penn School, named after Quaker William Penn, was the first building completed. It was also the first school founded in a Confederate state specifically for the education of African Americans. Eventually other buildings were added and the Penn Center became a fifty-acre campus which now includes 19 historic buildings such as the original Brick Baptist Church, Hampton House, and Darryl Hall.
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#BLM #blackhistorymonth #blackhistoryeveryday #blackhistory #blackhistoryfacts #BlackHistoryMonth #blackqueens #blackkings #blackcollegestudents #blackhistory365 #blackhistorymatters #BlackHistoryMoment #blackunity #beaufortsc #blackhistoryisamericanhistory #okthankyoubye #okloveyoubye #penncenter
A great day on the spanishmosstrail from Beaufort to #penncenter and back. After the trail we used the Sea Island Parkway. There is a bike lane but if you’re not used to road biking it can be intimidating. It’s loud but most vehicles were cautious . It was about 35 miles round trip. We stopped in Port Royal for lunch after walking the salt marsh. I’ll say this, I can tell it’s been winter! I need my bike legs back! #cycle #cyclelife #cyclebeaufort #cyclesouth
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.
