Penn Center: Preserving the past, enriching the future SPECIAL TO THE PACKET "Ef oona ent kno weh oona da gwine, oona should kno weh oona come from." - Gullah "If you don't know where you are going, you should know where you come from." - English Nestled beneath the live oaks and Spanish moss on St. Helena Island, South Carolina, Penn Center is one of the most historically significant African-American institutions in the United States. From its inception, it has been the location from which a better future for former slaves and their descendants has been cultivated. The Sea Islands of South Carolina are among the earliest sites in the United States where large numbers of African-Americans were freed from slavery. Penn Center is the oldest school for freed slaves in America -- a place where those seeking self-sufficiency could find the assistance they needed and the dignity they deserved. Designated a National Historic Site in 1974, Penn Center is also the oldest and most complete center for the study of Gullah culture on the East Coast. The York Bailey Museum, named for the first African-American doctor to practice on St. Helena Island, has the largest collection of photographs of Sea Island culture, oral histories and artifacts. History of Penn School After Union forces took over the Port Royal area in November 1861, thousands of newly-freed slaves were left with no land, no education and no direction. In response to the obvious need for help, the government launched the Port Royal Experiment, an effort to assist freed blacks in making the difficult transition from slavery to freedom. The first freedmen school was established in a back room at the Oaks Plantation House in June 1862. This school, which later became Penn School, was taught by white abolitionists Laura Towne and Ellen Murray. The school quickly outgrew the small room and relocated to the Brick Baptist Church. Three years later a building was erected on grounds across from the church and became the first Penn School house building. Forging a new path Penn Center was created to give freed slaves the hope for a better future, and it continued to assist island residents long after slavery was abolished. In the 1950s and '60s, as the only center in the South with bi-racial accommodations, it served as the meeting place for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and members of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). The group planned the famous 1963 "March on Washington" while staying at Penn Center. Penn Center has worked on many community-based projects over the years, such as bringing public water to the islands, helping farmers to buy and market cooperatives and advocating better housing and health care for low-income islanders. In November 1981 Executive Director Emory Campbell established Heritage Days as a way to celebrate islanders' achievements with cultural exhibits, food, songs, stories, games and dances. Today, Penn Center stands as a reminder of the past and a beacon for the future. Through its cooperative with the University of South Carolina at Beaufort, Penn Center hosts the Young Scholars Program at Penn, an after school enrichment program for students in grades 7 and 8. Lectures, tours, films and classes can all be enjoyed at Penn Center, now an up-to-date conference center open to academic and professional groups from around the country. For information on upcoming Penn Center events and programs, call (843) 838-8545. Gullah Home Island Packet Homepage