Reflecting on a Purposeful Woman

Today's post is about a purposeful woman creating space to learn & grow. This visionary innovator saw a gap and created a solution. Her efforts changed access to education for African American's in North Carolina.

It's fitting that North Carolina's first state historic site honoring African American Heritage is the Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum. Taken from the website of the Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum - Founded in 1902 by Dr. Charlotte Hawkins Brown, Palmer Memorial Institute transformed the lives of nearly 2,000 African American students. Today, the campus provides the setting where visitors can explore the place where boys and girls lived and learned during the greater part of the 20th century. The museum links Dr. Brown and Palmer Memorial Institute to the larger themes of African American history, women's history, social history, and education, emphasizing the contributions African Americans made in North Carolina.

Who was Charlotte and what trail did she blaze?

Charlotte Hawkins (1883-1961), born in Henderson, North Carolina, was a northern-educated granddaughter of formerly enslaved people. She returned to her home state as a teacher in 1901, and the following year established the Alice Freeman Palmer Memorial Institute in Sedalia. The African American boarding school evolved from an agricultural and manual training facility to a fully accredited, nationally recognized college preparatory and social finishing school. More than 1,000 students graduated during Brown's 50-year presidency.

Read more about the history here and make plans to visit.

After visiting any historical site, consider making a purchase to remind you of your visit. Revenue generated in our state's gift shops help pay for operational cost to maintain these important historical sites for future visitors. While promotional items are used for branding, marketing & advertising, branded merchandise can also be utilized to elevate a story.

Over the past 3 years our collaborations with the museum yielded products students & adults would use, recalling their experience and the story behind this NC historical site.

Make plans to visit this historical site, it's a quick day trip from the triangle area!