Charlotte Hawkins Brown and Palmer Memorial Institute: What One Young African American Woman Could Do
In the fall of 1901, Charlotte Hawkins Brown (1883-1961) jumped off a Southern Railway train in the unfamiliar backwoods of Guilford County, North Carolina. She was black, single, and barely eighteen years old and had come alone from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to begin her first real job as a teacher at a small, struggling school for African Americans.\ She stayed for over half a century. When the failing school was closed at the end of her first year, Brown remained to carry on. With...
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In the fall of 1901, Charlotte Hawkins Brown (1883-1961) jumped off a Southern Railway train in the unfamiliar backwoods of Guilford County, North Carolina. She was black, single, and barely eighteen years old and had come alone from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to begin her first real job as a teacher at a small, struggling school for African Americans.She stayed for over half a century. When the failing school was closed at the end of her first year, Brown remained to carry on. With virtually no resources save her own energy and determination, she founded Palmer Memorial Institute, which she would lead for fifty years. As other black private schools across the state vanished, Brown built Palmer up to become one of the premier academies for African American children in the nation.A remarkable example of achievement in the face of segregation and discrimination, the story of Charlotte Hawkins Brown and her school continues to provide a model of educational success born of dedication and hard work.
CONTENTS Preface Introduction1 From North Carolina to New England and Back 2 Bethany Institute Becomes Palmer Memorial Institute3 Brown's Hopes and Dreams4 A New Respectability5 From Tragedy to Triumph, 1918-19226 The New Palmer, 1922-19277 The AMA Years, 1927-19348 Independence and Stability, 1934-19529 In Brown's Shadow, 1952-1971Epilogue Appendix 1: Chronology Appendix 2: Selected Newspaper Articles on Charlotte Hawkins Brown and Palmer Memorial Institute Notes Bibliography IndexIllustrationsCharlotte Hawkins Brown, 1952Artist's depiction of Brown arriving in Guilford County, 1901Charles B. Aycock James Y. Joyner Brown, circa 1905John D. Hawkins Jane A. Hawkins, circa 1887Artist's depiction of African Americans waiting to leave North Carolina, 1890Caroline Hawkins Willis, 1924 Ray Greene Huling, circa 1893Alice Freeman Palmer Manuel L. Baldwin Palmer's first classroom and dormitory building, circa 1917Bethany Congregational Church, circa 1903 Charles D. McIver, circa 1900Memorial Hall, 1917Brown and faculty, 1907Palmer family, circa 1907Grinnell Cottage, circa 1917Palmer's campus, circa 1915Brown in her wedding gown, 1911Dairy barn on Palmer's farm, 1917Brown and colleague, circa 1911Galen L. Stone, circa 1920Class of 1916Brown examining produce from the school farm, circa 1916Students in dining hall, circa 1916Palmer baseball team, circa 1916Carrie M. Stone Alice Freeman Palmer Building, circa 1922Brown in faculty room, circa 1930Students in library, circa 1930Wellesley Auditorium, circa 1930Agricultural and vocational classroom, circa 1930Domestic science class in cooking, circa 1930Brown in front of Canary Cottage, circa 1935Social function at Canary Cottage, circa 1940s Galen Stone Hall, circa 1950Kimball Hall, 1997"Three Bs of education," circa 1940s Sedalia Singers, circa 1940s Students dancing a minuet, circa 1930s Students costumed for a drama, circa 1940Palmer's baseball team, circa 1930s Charles W. Eliot Hall, 1947 Reverend John Brice, 1947Brown and children in Canary Cottage, 1947Dance group in Wellesley Auditorium, 1947Orchestra practice, 1947Brown with senior, 1947Posture and poise practice, 1947Dormitory life in Stone Hall, 1947Brown lecturing in Wellesley Auditorium, 1947Palmer's "triangle of achievement," 1943Students pausing for prayer in Kimball Hall, 1947Students at Tea House, 1947At the prom, 1947Students shopping in Greensboro, 1947Brown and Wilhelmina Crosson, 1952Brown and Crosson in receiving line on lawn of Canary Cottage, circa 1952Brown celebrating birthday in Canary Cottage, circa 1953Richard L. Wharton Maria Hawkins Cole, H. M. Michaux Jr., L. Annette Gibbs, and Marie Hill Gibbs, circa 1985William Martin, 1997Dedication of Charlotte Hawkins Brown Memorial, November 7, 1987
\ From the PublisherThose interested in black education, women's history, and North Carolina history will find this monograph rich and invaluable.\ Journal of Southern History\ A thorough institutional history of Palmer that is unlikely to be bettered.\ Journal of American History\ A credible narrative of a remarkable woman who created a viable African American institution despite the most daunting obstacles.\ Choice\ Unquestionably this book is a major contribution to the literature on a leading Tar Heel educator of the 20th century.\ Our State\ This thoroughly documented book is a major contribution to the literature on a leading Tarheel educator and the school she founded.\ Winston-Salem Journal\ \ \
