Founder Dr. Brown is in the center wearing eyeglasses. [Palmer Inst. Archives]

Palmer Institute founded by Dr. Charlotte Hawkins Brown was the only school for African American children in the area. Most walked a long way to reach the one-room schoolhouse. Students who could not pay for their education worked at the school. But all of the students had daily chores because Hawkins believed that working gave them a sense of responsibility.

Charlotte Hawkins Brown soon became a leader in the African American community both in North Carolina and across the country. She often spoke out against the unfair treatment of African Americans, and she fought for equality. She also supported women’s rights, including the right to vote.

Brown built Palmer Memorial Institute into an outstanding private school. Palmer highlighted cultural education and offered classes in drama, music, art, math, literature, and foreign languages. It attracted students from across the United States and from other countries. Brown saw more than one thousand students graduate from Palmer during her fifty years as president.

Following her death in 1961, the school had a hard time withstanding some financial problems, and in 1971 a fire destroyed the administration and classroom building forcing them to close.

In 1987, it was reopened as the Charlotte Hawkins Brown memorial State Historic site.