Martin Luther King, Jr. Rested and Wrote at Penn Center

This post was last updated on 10 January 2024.  

Martin Luther King, Jr.
Photograph by Marion S. Tikosko, 1964.
Library of Congress

Many folks are not aware that King used to visit Penn Center for respite from his public political activities campaigning for Civil Rights during the 1960s. It is said that he wrote much of his "I Have a Dream" speech at Penn Center. You can view that historic speech online.

To celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, we suggest one item of particular local historical interest. For more information about his visits to our area, please check out I will not be silent and I will be heard: Martin Luther King Jr., the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and Penn Center, 1964-1967 by J. Tracy Power. The booklet is available through the SCLENDS consortium catalog.

Interested in the role that one of the first schools organized to educate formerly enslaved people played from 1862 until the present day? We suggest that you read Penn Center: A History Preserved by Orville Vernon Burton to learn more about this highly significant local institution.

For those who want to dig even deeper, we have the microfilm series of the Penn School Papers in the BDC along with a number of other materials about Penn Center.

The Beaufort County Library has lots more about Martin Luther King, Jr., too!  Hoopla, our digital service, has a suggested list of 21,915 ebooks, movies, and audiobooks about him with materials for kids, teens, and grown-ups. 

Just remember that if you want to come into the BDC to read the contents of the King, Martin Luther, Jr. (1929-1968) vertical file we have, you'll need to make an appointment directly with BDC staff. Contact us: 843-255-6468 or email bdc@bcgov.net. Please understand that BDC staff makes an effort to respond to inquiries within 72 hours of receipt by staff of the request. This means, of course, that we do not monitor incoming on weekends or on County holidays. 

A heads up: The Library system, including the BDC, will be closed on Monday, January 15th, 2024 in honor of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. - gmc