Penn Center

The Penn Center is an African-American cultural and educational center on Saint Helena Island. Founded in 1862 by Quaker and Unitarian missionaries from Pennsylvania, it was the first school founded in the South specifically for the education of African-Americans. It provided educational facilities to Gullah slaves freed after plantation owners fled the island. The campus was designated a National Historic Landmark District in 1974. Darrah Hall and Brick Baptist Church on the campus were declared part of the Reconstruction Era National Monument in January 2017. In 2019, it became part of the Reconstruction Era National Historic Park.