United States historic place
| Penn School Historic District | |
| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
| U.S. National Historic Landmark District | |
 Retreat House | |
  Show map of South Carolina Show map of the United States | |
| Nearest city | St. Helena Island, South Carolina |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 32°23′18″N 80°34′31″W / 32.38830°N 80.57530°W / 32.38830; -80.57530 |
| Area | 47 acres (19 ha) |
| Built | 1855 |
| NRHP reference No. | 74001824 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | September 9, 1974 |
| Designated NHLD | December 2, 1974 |
The Retreat House and Dock of Penn Center, formerly known as Penn School, was built in 1968, the year Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed. Plans were for him to have his meetings there rather than the smaller Gantt Cottage he had been staying at. It faces a body of water, a cove of Capers Creek, which is a place for meditation and relaxation for Penn Center's guests. The Retreat House replaced the Palmetto Cottage built in 1920 which was formerly located at this site but was destroyed by fire in the 1950’s. The Retreat House and Dock was however used by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s associates during the Charleston Hospital Strike of 1969.
Gallery
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West (Rear, Facing Water Front) and North Side Elevation - Retreat House
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Retreat House Exterior
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Retreat House Dock
See also
- Reconstruction Era National Monument
- Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor
- List of National Historic Landmarks in South Carolina
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Beaufort County, South Carolina
References
- "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
- "Penn School Historic District". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved March 10, 2008.
- National Archives and Records Administration. (2017). South Carolina SP Penn Center Historic District. National Archives and Records Administration. https://catalog.archives.gov/id/118997169
- Penn Center Historic District. (n.d.). Penn Center Walking Tour. http://npshistory.com/publications/reer/penn-center-walking-tour.pdf
- South Carolina Department of Archives and History. (n.d.). African American Historic Places in South Carolina. Home | SC Department of Archives and History. https://scdah.sc.gov/
- Power, T. J. (1993). Martin Luther King, Jr., The Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and Penn Center 1964-1967. Home | SC Department of Archives and History. https://scdah.sc.gov/
- Historic American Buildings Survey, C. (1933) Penn School Historic District, Benezet House, 1 mile South of Frogmore, Route 37, St Helena Island, Frogmore, Beaufort County, SC. South Carolina Beaufort County Frogmore, 1933. Documentation Compiled After. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/sc0774/.