Cultural Landscape Report: Darrah Hall, Reconstruction Era National Historical Park

WLA Studio

This Cultural Landscape Report (CLR) is for the Darrah Hall unit of Reconstruction Era National Historical Park, southeast of Beaufort, South Carolina. Until recently, Darrah Hall was owned by the Penn Center and is directly associated with that institution’s history. Penn Center, formerly Penn School, is the African American educational institution that arose during the early years of the Civil War on Union-occupied St. Helena Island, one of a string of Sea Islands along the South Carolina coastline. The federal government purchased the Darrah Hall property in 2017; it is the only Reconstruction Era National Historical Park property both owned and operated by the National Park Service. The historic significance of Darrah Hall cultural landscape is thus tied to both the overall Reconstruction Era and the Port Royal Experiment, as well as to Penn School. Early commemoration efforts comprised the inclusion of Darrah Hall in the Penn Center Historic District and associated National Historic Landmark designation in 1974. A preservation campaign at Penn Center in the 1990s resulted in the restoration and renewed use of the Darrah Hall building and site. This cultural landscape report aims to synthesize our understanding of the cultural landscape of the site and offer recommendations to guide its future use. The site history section of this report organizes the site into periods of development. These periods reflect both broad themes in regional history as well as specific events related to the ownership of the project site. Darrah Hall is a contributing resource to the Penn Center Historic District (period of significance of 1850-1924). Other units within Reconstruction Era National Historical Park are the Old Beaufort Firehouse, Camp Saxton, and the Brick Church.

Cultural Landscape Report: Darrah Hall, Reconstruction Era National Historical Park

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