HomeMy WebLinkAboutPRO-2021-028-Proclamation commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Burwell School I� C� JOa ) tea r
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ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
PROCLAMATION
COMMEMORATING THE 200Tx ANNIVERSARY OF THE BURWELL SCHOOL
PRESENTED TO THE HISTORIC HILLSBOROUGH COMMISSION
WHEREAS , the Burwell School Historic Site , located at the northern edge of the Historic District of
Hillsborough, North Carolina, includes an early 19th- century structure , circa 1821 and expanded in
1848 , surrounded by outbuildings and gardens on two acres ; and
WHEREAS, the property was the home of the Reverend Robert and Margaret Anna Burwell and their
family beginning in 1835 , and , at this site , Anna Burwell founded and operated the Burwell School for
Girls , an academy for privileged white girls , from 1837 to 1857 — offering lessons in English, French,
Mathematics , Art and more — educating more than 200 girls who came from near and far to study here;
and
WHEREAS , African Americans , both enslaved and free , provided much of the labor for the maintenance
of the school and grounds , and provided personal services to family members and students ; and
WHEREAS , Elizabeth " Lizzie" Hobbs Keckly, once enslaved by the Burwell family and also the half-
sister to Reverend Burwell , purchased her freedom in 1855 and became the accomplished dressmaker
and confidante to Mary Todd Lincoln while she was First Lady; and
WHEREAS , the Historic Hillsborough Commission, a non-profit organization established by the North
Carolina General Assembly in 1963 , obtained the Burwell School property in 1965 , restored the existing
buildings and opened them to the public as a historic site; and
WHEREAS , Mary Claire Engstrom, a local leader in preservation, was instrumental in the
establishment of the Commission and served as its chair during the restoration of the Burwell School ;
and
WHEREAS , the mission of the Commission is to maintain and preserve the Burwell School Historic
Site , to interpret the history of 19th and 20th century Hillsborough, and to celebrate and promote the
culture and heritage of Hillsborough and Orange County; and
WHEREAS , members of the Commission are appointed by the North Carolina Governor, and they,
along with community volunteers , donate time and effort to the operation and upkeep of the site; and
WHEREAS , in 2018 , the Commission honored the bicentennial of the birth of Elizabeth Keckly with a
series of programs and events , and an exhibit about Keckly is in the South Parlor of the schools and
WHEREAS , in 2019 , the Commission published a landmark report recognizing and acknowledging the
contributions of the people of color, free and enslaved , who worked and lived at the site during the
operation of the Burwell School;
NOW THEREFORE, the Board of County Commissioners of Orange County does hereby proclaim
Sunday, October 2411', 2021 as Burwell School Historic Site Day in Orange County in celebration of
the Bicentennial of the Site , and in appreciation of the Historic Hillsborough Commission for its work
in preservation and in elucidating an inclusive history of Hillsborough and Orange County,
This the 19th day of October , 2021 . � g' �� <
Renee A . Price Chair
. , Orange County Board of Commissioners
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