penn center

The history here is so deep and I felt so privileged to visit and learn so much about Gullah culture! It was so interesting and the exhibits and artifacts were exceptional. Nothing beats the feeling of history, great stories and film to make it seem like the place is coming alive all around you. Low country folklore has a rich history of ghost stories as well and I loved the ones from this area!

Be sure to visit the Penn Center on Saint Helena Island if you get the chance. It’s an easy drive from Beaufort, and there’s no more fascinating place to explore the roots and origins of Gullah/Geechee/Sea Island culture. Pick up a guide/map ($1) at the Welcome Center so you’ll appreciate what you see on your tour of this one-of-a-kind place. Take the museum tour ($5), which features an intro film and an array of interesting exhibits and artifacts. If you’re pressed for time you can do a driving tour of the campus, using the guide/map, in about half an hour. It’s better to walk if you can. It’s especially nice to visit the Penn Center campus during the annual Heritage Days Celebration, a three-day festival in November that celebrates Gullah/Geechee/Sea Island history and the cultural legacy of West Africa with a parade, music, drumming, gospel singing, traditional foods, folk arts and crafts, storytelling, and other activities and events.

The pictures of life on St. Helena, and the artifacts make it memorable. Loved the books and other materials about the Low Country. Also, enjoyed the short film presentation that brought the Penn Center to Life.

The history of the Cemter, and the continued efforts, are fantastic! I knew nothing of the Penn Educational Program when the visit was recommended by a local when I asked for something to teach me about the history of the region. I only wish I had had more time to see some of the other buildings, as I only had enough time to see the 30 minute video and briefly visit the museum... They close at 4.

Take time to visit this historic site & home of the Gullah culture. Read the captions & plaques; enjoy the artifacts.

The site captures the historic of the Gullah Geechee people who were the first freed enslaved Africans to attend a training school

Was very interesting with a 25 min. video and several pictures of the days in late 1800's. More emphasis should be added with film on the network showing the Head of the Gullah Nation talking about the heritage and speaking Geechy. More signs indidcating what the buildings were used for on campus. Plan for a one hour stay.

What an amazing place to visit! Just the cabin the Dr. King stayed in was more then enough to make this a must see! I recommend this place 150%!

Penn Center was a very spiritual place to visit. You could feel the hopes and dreams of the many freed slaves that attended training here. It gave me a real perspective of what the brave souls experienced transitioning from slavery to freedom. It restores you faith in the kindness of humans and the strength of our peeople.

If you are in this area of the world you have to, I can not stress enough, have to go here. It is indescribable. It doesn't look like much when you drive in but once you start walking around the grounds it is breathtaking! Seeing the cabin where The "I had a dream" speech was written was serene.

How very interesting. One of the alumni was there in the museum greeting and answering questions. Great displays. A part of history that I knew little about. Well worth going

It is a unique part of Southern history, and if you are from the south you should visit. It's longevity and continued relevance to this area is impressive.

This center provides a very informative video on the history on the Penn School/Center. After the video take the self guided tour which takes you through slavery and freedom in this coastal region. There are multiple buildings on the grounds which you can view from the outside only. Sometimes an alumnus of the school is available to answer questions.

My husband and I were very interested in learning more about the Gullah culture and history so we were excited to visit Penn Center. When we arrived we entered the visitor center and paid $5 to tour the museum. Upon entering the museum we watched a 20ish minute film that was very interesting and informative. Next we went into the museum which was small but did contain a lot of history. Afterwards we were giving a map of the remaining buildings of the property. It would’ve been nice if we were able to tour any of the buildings or if they had staff to offer more information of what it was we were seeing. There is much history here at Penn Center; I just wished it could’ve been organized a little bit better.

The museum costs $5 admission and is worth the visit, but could use more organization. It takes only about 10-15 minutes to reach from Beaufort and is only a minute or two off the road from Beaufort to Hunting Island. The Penn Center tries to tell three broad three stories: the earliest experiment in reconstructing African American society after slaves were freed on the Sea Islands in 1861, the support the Penn Center gave to the Gullahs from reconstruction through the civil rights movement, and the present-day attempt to preserve Gullah heritage. These stories cover a lot of ground. The storyboards in the museum are informative, but the overall organization is not obvious and this part of the exhibit is more compact than is necessary. There is a small section dealing with reconstruction which juts off and is easy to miss. The video has good points, but could also use more broad brush organization. The brochure did not include a map of the grounds or an explanation what each of the buildings were used for. The staff was friendly, but the overall experience would improve if the staff volunteered more information about the history of Saint Helena. There are a number of interesting books for sale dealing with the history of the Gullahs and the Gullah language and culture.