National Historic Landmark-Penn School Historic District

National Historic Landmark- Penn School Historic District

In 1862, long before the end of the Civil War, Northern missionaries arrived on St. Helena Island to assist the Black population.

They organized one of the first southern schools for Blacks here, and pioneered ...

Pennhurst State School and Hospital

Between 1908 and 1987, more than 10,500 Pennsylvanians with developmental disabilities lived here. Public controversy over the inhumane treatment of residents and two decades of complex litigation, including three arguments before the US Supreme Court, led to the institution’s closure. ...

Desegregation of Pennsylvania Schools

An event here in September 1880 led to the end of segregation by race in the state's public schools. At the South Ward schools, Elias Allen tried unsuccessfully to enroll his two children. He appealed to the Crawford County Court ...

Port Penn Schoolhouse

Symbol of the Community

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State Stewardship: Linking People, Culture and Environment

After operating the museum for fifteen years, the Port Penn Area Historical Society transferred the schoolhouse museum to the Division of Parks and Recreation in 1991. It now serves as ...

Penn School

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One of the first schools for blacks in the South, Penn School, was reorganized as Penn Normal, Industrial and Agricultural School in 1901. As a

result of this change, incorporating principals of education found at both Tuskegee and ...