Hillsborough in Orange County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Burwell School Historic Site

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, August 31, 2023

1. Burwell School Historic Site Marker

Inscription. The Reverend Robert Burwell, his wife Anna, and their two children moved from Virginia to Hillsborough in 1835. The Presbyterians, who hired him as their minister, provided the family with a house which was built around 1821 on the corner of Union and Churton Streets. To supplement the household income, Anna Burwell responded to Dr. James Webb's request for help with his daughter's education by opening the Burwell home as a school for girls in 1837. Within a few years the school had become a boarding school and was attracting students from all over the South. From 1837 to 1857 as many as forty enslaved people and free blacks supplied the labor necessary to run the Burwell School and care for the Burwell family and their students. Burwell scholars studied reading, writing, mathematics, science and history as well as music and drawing. In 1848, Rev. Burwell resigned his ministry so that he could devote more time to administering school affairs. He then purchased the property from the Presbyterian Church and hired John Berry to renovate and enlarge the house. By 1857, the Burwells had educated over two hundred young women.

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In that year, they closed their school and became directors of the Charlotte Female Academy in Charlotte, North Carolina (now Queens University). Anna Burwell died in Charlotte in 1871. Robert Burwell then moved to Raleigh to run Peace Institute (now William Peace University). He died in 1895.

The Burwell School after 1857
When the Burwells left, they sold their school to the Collins family, the owners of Somerset Place Plantation in Washington County. They purchased the property to provide their extended family and enslaved servants a place of refuge behind the Confederate lines. They called their new home “The Beehive” because there were so many people living there. IN 1869, the Orange County sheriff sold the buildings and grounds to settle the debts of Dr. Thomas Warren, who had married into the Collins family. In 1895 Charles M. Parks sold the property to Dr. John Spurgeon, a dentist. He and his wife Carrie, an avid gardener and excellent cook, reared their six children while living in the house. In the 1960s the Historic Hillsborough Commission, under the leadership of Mary Claire Engstrom purchased the house and turned it

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, August 31, 2023

2. Burwell School Historic Site Marker

into an historic site.

Those who worked at The Burwell School
Enslaved and free people worked at The Burwell School. The most famous person to work at the school was Elizabeth Hobbs Keckly. Her autobiography, Behind the Scenes or, Thirty Years a Slave and Four Years in the White House, describes how she bought her freedom, moved to Washington, D.C., and became Mary Lincoln's dressmaker. Joseph Nichols, Job Berry, and other enslaved Black craftsmen working for John Berry renovated the house and school in the 1840s. Free Black workers included Eliza Chavious (Chavis), a laundress; Patsy Freeman, a nurse; and Umstead Mayo, who was a maintenance man and personal servant to Rev. Burwell. Enslaved workers included Hannah, a cook; Julia, who did the sewing; and Mary Ann, who served as housekeeper.

Among the teachers were Antonio de Martino, an immigrant from Italy, who taught music. Sarah Kollock, a former Burwell student, taught French and drawing before she helped found the Nash and Kollock School in Hillsborough.

[Captions (left to right)]
• Rev. Robert Burwell, 1802-1895
• Anna Burwell, 1810-1871
• Elizabeth Hobbs Keckly,

The Burwell House image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, August 31, 2023

3. The Burwell House

The Burwells began their school in this house, which had been provided by local Presbyterians.

1818-1907
• Burwell student Susan (Suny) Webb, 1831-1905 - founded Alameda Schoolhouse

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 1835.

Location. 36° 4.806′ N, 79° 5.984′ W. Marker is in Hillsborough, North Carolina, in Orange County. It is at the intersection of North Churton Street and West Union Street, on the right when traveling south on North Churton Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 315 N Churton St, Hillsborough NC 27278, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Piedmont

and in the Research Triangle.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking

Burwell School Kitchen/Music Room image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, August 31, 2023

4. Burwell School Kitchen/Music Room

It reputedly was built by John Berry c. 1848.

distance of this marker: Elizabeth Keckly (here, next to this marker); Welcome to The Burwell School (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); This Building Tells Many Stories (about 600 feet away); Thomas Burke (about 600 feet away); Constitutional Convention, 1788 (about 600 feet away); William Hooper Esquire (approx. 0.2 miles away); James Hogg (approx. 0.2 miles away); William Hooper (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hillsborough.

Also see . . .
1. Our History. The Burwell School Historic Site preserves the setting for one of the state’s earliest schools for girls, The Burwell Academy for Young Ladies. Today, the site's two-acre property encompasses the Burwell residence (ca. 1821, 1848), the original brick classroom building of Robert and Margaret Anna Burwell’s school (ca.1837- 1857), and a rare brick "necessary house" (ca. 1837). (Burwell School Historic Site) (Submitted on September 8, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

2. Burwell School (PDF). National Register of Historic Places nomination for the site, which was listed in 1970.

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(National Archives) (Submitted on September 8, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Credits. This page was last revised on September 8, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 8, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 396 times since then and 48 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 8, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.