Brick Church: Cultural Landscapes Inventory, Reconstruction Era National Historic Park
IR 2 Cultural Landscapes Program. 2024. Brick Church: Cultural Landscapes Inventory, Reconstruction Era National Historic Park. Cultural Landscapes Inventory Report. 976297. National Park Service. NPS Southeast Regional Office / CRIS-CL Database
This Cultural Landscapes Inventory report documents the Brick Church, one of four Reconstruction Era National Historic Park sites in Beaufort County, South Carolina. Located within the Penn Center National Historic Landmark District, Brick Church is a 1-acre historic site that was added to the park to preserve and interpret “the resources and complex national stories of Reconstruction—African Americans’ quest for freedom, the challenges resulting from the abolition of slavery, and the struggles to redefine the nation during and after the Civil War.” The land upon which Brick Church was constructed was at the center of the country’s first programs designed to redefine African American life in the United States (U.S.)—the Port Royal Experiment. The building itself served generations of African Americans as part of the Penn Center campus and the Corner community. 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. SIGNIFICANCE SUMMARY The historic significance of the Brick Church cultural landscape is tied to both the overall Reconstruction Era and the Port Royal Experiment, as well as to Penn Center. While not individually listed in the National Register, Brick Church is a contributing resource to the Penn Center Historic District. The district’s period of significance is 1850-1924. In reflection of Brick Church’s association with the history Penn School (established in 1862) and its important community function well into the twentieth century, this CLI applies an 1855 -1924 period of significance to the site. Its current function as an active church and protected historic site allows for this association to be interpreted and preserved.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- IR 2 Cultural Landscapes Program
- Date of Issue
- 2024-08-26
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- REER , SER
- Keywords
- African American history, Baptist church, church, civil rights, Civil War, contact station, education, graveyard, National Historic Landmark, Old Fort, Penn Center, Penn Center Historic District, Penn School, Port Royal Experiment, reconstruction, religious institution
- Subjects
- NPS.gov Subject Site: Cultural Landscapes , NPS.gov Subject Site: Reconstruction Era