THE ROAD TO FROGMORE
Miss Laura M. Towne
was a Unitarian, an Abolitionist, and a medical student. In 1862, at the age of 37, she left her
Philadelphia home to travel to the Sea Islands of South Carolina. Her purpose: to do whatever she could
to help the newly freed slaves become useful and productive citizens.
When she first arrived on St. Helena
Island, she believed she would be serving as a doctor. Later she discovered that her real love
was teaching. She founded (and
financed) the Penn School (now the Penn Center), one of the first schools for emancipated slaves in
the area. After the war she stayed on in South Carolina with her life-long friend Ellen Murray, continuing her
emphasis on education and equal opportunities for all people regardless of skin
color.
Miss Towne's success as an
educator had everything to do with her genuine love for her students. She passionately believed that there
were no limitations they could not overcome. But she also insisted on good behavior and hard work. Her
non-compromising attitude toward her children and the strict enforcement of her
rules sometimes seemed unduly harsh, but only because she cared so deeply about
their success.
Today, the cemetery at The Brick Church, where Laura began her school, contains monuments dedicated to the memory of the two women who dedicated their lives to helping the people of St. Helena Island.
Erected by the
people of St. Helena in memory of
LAURA M. TOWNE
ENTERED INTO JOY
ST. HELENA, S.C. 1901
Their beloved and
venerated teacher,
friend, helper and Physician
for forty years.
ELLEN MURRAY
A FOUNDER, PRINCIPAL,
TEACHER. PENN SCHOOL
1862 -- 1908
REV. 14:12*
*Rev. 14:12. "Here is the patience of the saints:
here are they that keep the commandments of
God, and the faith of Jesus."
