Museum & Library

York W. Bailey Museum. Named for a Penn School graduate and the first African American Medical doctor to serve St. Helena and neighboring Islands, the museum is housed in the Historic Cope Industrial Building. It is comprised of four Galleries and a Book and Gift Store. Open to the public, over 10,000 visitors come to the museum each year to take part in its Cultural Lessons and Demonstrations Educational Program, view its exhibits, for public programming, or to simply experience the unique blend of history, education and culture. The permanent exhibit, Education for Freedom: the Penn School Experiment 1862-, showcases some of the oldest professional photographs of African American people, the original 1863 school bell, and artifacts related to Sea Island and African American history and culture. See below for photos of some of the items on display.

Cultural Services

The History and Culture Department maintains Penn Center's historic collection which dates back to 1862, the founding of Penn School. This program also arranges cultural services and demonstrations for groups visiting Penn's campus. The museum is open to the public Monday through Saturday from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm. Admission is $5 for adults; $4 for seniors; $2 for youth (up to age 16); and $3 for groups of 10 or more. A written request for group visits should be sent to the History and Culture Department at least two weeks prior to the date of your visit. Arrangements can also be made by calling (843)838-2474.

All lessons include a brief history of Penn School and a self-guided tour of the York W. Bailey Museum. Lessons can be scheduled according to group needs. Please call for fee schedule.

York W. Bailey Museum Scavenger Hunt

Grades K4-12. Group size 30 or less. Discover the York W. Bailey Museum and its wonderful artifacts. Following a brief lecture of Penn School history, students discover, identify and collect items on a scavenger hunt that encompasses every exhibit in the museum. Time 45-60 minutes.

Sea Island Sweet Grass Baskets

Grades K-6. Group size 30 or less. Artistry and tradition are combined in the coils of sweetgrass baskets. Famed for their intricacy and beautiful patterns, sweetgrass baskets of the Sea Islands have become collectors novelties. Originating from the coasts of West Africa, the art of basketry has been passed down from generation to generation creating a link for descendants of African slaves to their African American heritage. Find out what sweetgrass is, where it grows, and how it is collected. Includes oral history, storytime and hands on participation. Time 45-60 minutes.

Casting the Net

Grades K-6. Group size 30 or less. Still used today, casting nets were very important for gathering food. Students watch as a master net maker creates a net and shares stories and casts a net to pull in their supper. Includes oral history, storytime and hands-on participation. Time 45-60 minutes.

Spirituals

Group size 30 or less. Spirituals are a tradition in Black history rooted deep from the fields of slavery. Learn the different meters, techniques, and lyrics of the spirituals of the South. Time 45-60 minutes.

Gullah Storytelling

Group size 30 or less. Long before history was written, it was told in wonderfully colorful stories. This lesson instills the importance of oral history and the valuable role the griot or "storyteller" maintained in African and African American villages. Includes storytelling and hands-on participation. Time 45-60 minutes.

The Patchwork Quilt

Grades K-6. Group size 30 or less. An essential part of Lowcountry tradition, the patchwork quilt has become an art form of historical significance. Children learn the history of the patchwork quilt and participate in "creating" the history of their own quilt. Includes storytime and hands-on activity. Time 45-60 minutes.

"Who Dat Gullah?"

Group size 30 or less. Who is Gullah? What is Gullah? Where did it come from? Where are the Gullah people? Is Gullah a language? Does Gullah still exist? What are the African connections? Discover the answers to these questions and more in one of our most popular lectures. Time 45-60 minutes.

"Penn School and the Port Royal Experiment"

Group size 30 or less. Explore the unique history of the first school in the south for newly freed slaves in a lecture and slide show on the outbreak of the Civil War(de day de Big Gun Shoot), the Union government's experiment with freedom and the Gullah people of the Sea Islands. Time one hour.

"Still Tongue Mek a Wise Head: Gullah Women as History Tellers and Culture Bearers"

Discusses the role of women within Gullah communities in South Carolina and Georgia. Much of the material presented originated from ex-slave narratives collected during the mid-1930s. The voices of the Gullah narrators are mixed with scholarly research. Time 45-60 minutes.

"Family Across the Sea"

Group size 30 or less. Learn the historical connections of the Gullah people of the Sea Islands to the people of Sierra Leone, West Africa. Astounding similarities in language, customs and arts that have bridged the connection slavery could not erase. Time 45-60 minutes.

Reservation Information

Click Here For Group Reservation Form

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The Laura M. Towne Archives and Library

Laura Towne Library and Archives houses recent Penn Center papers, original books from the Penn School library, prints of some 2000 photographs dating back to the late 1800s, copies of old films and oral histories, first editions, artifacts and art. Penn’s archives are maintained at the Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. (http://www.lib.unc.edu/mss/inv/p/Penn_School.html) See below for photos of some of the items on display.