Selected Materials about Penn Center

Penn Center has been celebrating its 150th Anniversary since 2012. Penn School was established in 1862 by two Northern missionaries, Laura M. Towne and Ellen Murray.  It was among the first American institutions to provide a formal education for formerly enslaved people. In 1901, the Penn School expanded to become the Penn Normal, Agricultural and Industrial School after adopting the industrial arts curriculum taught at Hampton and Tuskegee Institutes. Penn School closed in 1948. During the 1960s, Penn Community Services reinvigorated its involvement in the Civil Rights Movement as the only South Carolina location where interracial groups could meet and discuss civil disobedience activities in peace.  During the 1970s, Penn Community Services evolved into Penn Center, an organization dedicated “to promote and preserve the history and culture of the Sea Islands.” Check out the recently updated list of selected resources about Penn School, Beaufort County's own historic and hallowed institution.