Penn Center (Saint Helena Island, South Carolina)

The Penn Center is located about one mile south of Frogmore on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The campus is divided by the road, and includes a number of historic buildings related to the original function as a school, including classrooms, living spaces for students, teachers, and administrators. The oldest building on the campus is the 1855 Brick Church, built by the plantation owners of the island.'' The isolated nature of St. Helena Island contributed to the development of the unique Gullah/Geechee culture, which is being preserved through establishments like the Penn Center. == History ==

American Civil War and Reconstruction Era In 1861, after the first shots of the American Civil War at Fort Sumter, Union Army forces captured St. Helena Island, prompting the local plantation owners to flee. Union General Thomas W. Sherman directed the beginning of what would become known as the Port Royal Experiment, the goal of which was to establish hospitals and schools for former slaves through which to pursue education and careers, which could enable them to buy land in the Lowcountry around Port Royal, South Carolina. The military administration of the island partitioned the old plantations, giving the land to the former slaves who lived there. Towne was born and raised in Salem, Massachusetts, but later moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she was introduced to the abolitionist movement. Towne named Penn School in honor of William Penn, a Quaker champion for human liberty and the founder of Pennsylvania. For many years the work was financed by Philadelphia Quaker abolitionists. During times of greater financial stress in the 1870s, Towne and Murray both declined a salary from the school, however, they continued to receive financial support from their families who remained affluent in the northern United States. Cooley and House agreed with the school curriculum’s emphasis on English, but they also decided to focus more on the needs of the community instead of implementing a strict northern education. Three years later in 1951, the institution became the Penn Center. The institution then became the Penn Center, with directors including Howard Kester, Courtney Siceloff, John Gadson, Joe McDomick and Emory Campbell, and continued an educational mission for the island's citizens. The center's directors were also responsible for maintaining a museum, cultural center, and conference meeting space. Civil Rights Movement and the late 20th century In 1950, the Penn Campus was used as a conference site for midwifery. At the time, 25% of South Carolina births involved a midwife and more than 50% of births in Beaufort County involved a midwife. Darrah Hall, which includes an adjacent parking area, has also been deeded over to the National Park Service. The Penn Center Campus remains a place of historical preservation and educational operations. In January of 2001, the Sea Island Reconstruction Heritage Partnership began. The network’s goal is to provide resources for the advancement of the Center’s preservation and educational mission as part of a five-year initiative. ==Penn Center buildings==

• Brick Baptist Church (1855) (), Although not part of Penn’s Campus, the Brick Church on the northeast border has always fulfilled a significant role in Penn’s History. Brick Church housed classes as Penn School moved from Oaks Plantation into their dedicated schoolhouse. • Penn Center Bell Tower (1865), located next to the Benezet House, the Bell Tower housed a brass bell modeled after the Liberty Bell and bearing the inscription "Proclaim Liberty". The bell is now on display at Penn Center's museum. • Darrah Hall (1882), the oldest building on Penn Center's campus, Darrah Hall has been a community nexus for over a hundred years. • Alden Sales House (1900), built by the students, Alden Sales House has been used as a thrift shop and milk house. • Hampton House (Penn Center) (1904) (), was used as on-site housing for teachers and guests. • Benezet House (1905) (), the female teachers and students used Benezet House as their on-campus residence and this house was the center of home economics training. • Cedar Cottage (1907), built to house Penn's single female teachers and nurse offices. Cedar Cottage is named after the abundant trees found on St. Helena Island. • Jasmine Cottage (1911), built by Penn's carpentry students to house teachers. • Cope Industrial Shop (1912) (), this building housed all of the harness-making, wheelwrighting, blacksmith, basketry, carpentry, and cobbling classes. The building today houses Penn Center's York W. Bailey Museum. • Emory S. Campbell Dining Hall (1917) (), originally built as a laundry, the Dining Hall accommodates up to a hundred people and provides a variety of local Gullah-Style foods to Conference Center guests. • Green Learning Center Rosenwald School (1920's), the learning center is utilized by the Program for Academic and Cultural Enrichment (PACE) as a daycare program. • Pine Grove Cottage (1921), built by students as housing for the school's superintendent, Pine Cottage is used today to house guests of Penn Center. • Lathers Memorial Dormitory (1922), was a memorial to Agnes Lathers, one of the early teachers at Penn. It was originally a dormitory for male students and teachers and is used today as administrative offices. • Frissell Community House (1925) (), built on the site of the original Penn Center schoolhouse, Frissell has been and is still used as a community gathering place, having even been used by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference for training and strategy meetings. • Butler Building (Penn Center) (1931), built by Penn students, the Butler Building originally served as the place of the home economics departments, the graduates’ meeting room, the boy’s clubhouse, exhibits, and the band room. • Arnett House (1937), was used as housing for students and teachers from South Carolina State University working in the county schools. It is currently used for conference guests. • The Potato House (1938), was used to stack sweet potatoes for curing. The Potato House is now fenced in and used for storage of farm machinery. • Gantt Cottage (1940), the current Gantt Cottage was built by Penn students as a replacement to the original. During the 1960's, Martin Luther King, Jr. stayed at Gantt Cottage as he visited Penn Center for meetings and there wrote his "I Have A Dream" speech. • Orchard Cottage (1942), built as a teacher's residence. • The Cannery (Penn Center) (1946), originally built as a dairy barn, the cannery has been used for canning tomato and processing Conch. • Retreat House and Dock (1968), built during the year of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s death, the Retreat House was planned as a more scenic and meditative place for his meetings over the smaller Gantt Cottage. ==Gallery==

File:Penncenter1.jpg|Benezet House File:Penncenter2.jpg|Back view of Darrah Hall File:Penncenter.jpg|Orchard Cottage File:Basket Making, Penn Normal, Industrial and Agricultural School.jpg|Basket making class File:Sewing Class, Penn Normal, Industrial and Agricultural School.jpg|Sewing class File:A Class in History, Studying Abraham Lincoln, Penn Normal, Industrial and Agricultural School.jpg|History class ==See also==