Penn Center (Saint Helena Island, South Carolina)
Penn School Historic District | |
Brick Baptist Church | |
| Nearest city | St. Helena Island, South Carolina |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 32°23′18″N 80°34′31″W / 32.38830°N 80.57530°W |
| Area | 47 acres (19 ha) |
| Built | 1855 |
| NRHP reference No. | 74001824 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | September 9, 1974 |
| Designated NHLD | December 2, 1974 |
The Penn Center, formerly the Penn School, is an African-American cultural and educational center in the Corners Community on Saint Helena Island. Founded in 1862 by Quaker and Unitarian missionaries from Pennsylvania, it was the first school founded in the Southern United States specifically for the education of African-Americans. It provided critical educational facilities to Gullah slaves freed after plantation owners fled the island, and continues to fulfill an educational mission.
The campus was designated a National Historic Landmark District in 1974. Darrah Hall and the Brick Baptist Church on the campus were declared part of Reconstruction Era National Monument in January 2017. In 2019, it became the Reconstruction Era National Historic Park, along with Fort Sumter.