Laura Matilda Towne (May 3, 1825 in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

– February 22, 1901, in

St. Helena Island, South Carolina St. Helena Island is a Sea Island in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. The island is connected to Beaufort by U.S. Highway 21. The island has a land area of about and a population of 8,763 as of the 2010 census. It is includ ...

) was an American abolitionist and educator. She is best known for forming the first freedmen's schools (those for newly freed slaves), notably the Penn School.

Early life

Laura Matilda Towne, the daughter of John Towne and Sarah Robinson was born on May 3, 1825, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Education & influences

Laura Towne originally studied medicine when the American Civil War broke out. She was raised in Philadelphia hearing sermons about the abolition of slavery by her minister,

William Henry Furness William Henry Furness (April 20, 1802 – January 30, 1896) was an American clergyman, theologian, Transcendentalist, abolitionist, and reformer. Biography Furness was born in Boston, where he attended the Boston Latin School and developed a lif ...

at the

First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia The First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia is a Unitarian Universalist congregation located at 2125 Chestnut Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As a regional Community Center it sponsors cultural, educational, civic, wellness and spiritual a ...

. Influenced by these teachings, Towne answered the call for volunteers when the Union captured Port Royal and other Sea Islands area of South Carolina. With the help of her Quaker friend Ellen Murray (January 31, 1834 – April 7, 1908) they founded the Penn Center on St. Helena Island, the first school for newly freed slaves in the United States. Laura Towne was buried at the

Laurel Hill Cemetery Laurel Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery in the East Falls neighborhood of Philadelphia. Founded in 1836, it was the second major rural cemetery in the United States after Mount Auburn Cemetery in Boston, Massachusetts. The cemetery is ...

, Section 7, Lot 77 to 80, in Philadelphia.

The Penn Center

The school started with nine students and operated out of the back room of a plantation house. Laura Towne and Murray spent the next forty years of their lives ministering to the freed slaves, developing their trust, providing them with medical care, teaching them to read and write, and fighting for their land rights. Laura Towne and Ellen Murray eventually adopted several African American children and raised them as their own. She took care of the school for the rest of her life and eventually gave up practicing medicine. After her death, Penn School was transferred to

Hampton Institute Hampton University is a private, historically black, research university in Hampton, Virginia. Founded in 1868 as Hampton Agricultural and Industrial School, it was established by Black and White leaders of the American Missionary Association aft ...

, at which time it began operating as the Penn Normal, Industrial, and Agricultural School. Recognized as a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

, the Penn Center trained generations of students, including U.S. Congressman

Robert Smalls Robert Smalls (April 5, 1839 – February 23, 1915) was an American politician, publisher, businessman, and maritime pilot. Born into slavery in Beaufort, South Carolina, he freed himself, his crew, and their families during the American Civil ...

(1839-1915). During the Civil Rights era the Penn Center served as a training ground for non-violent civil disobedience by welcoming Rev. Dr.

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...

Now a National Historic Landmark, the Penn Center celebrated 150 years education, leadership and service.

Sources

Laura Towne:Biography

About

Early life

Education & influences

The Penn Center

Sources

References

Further reading