Burwell School

The Burwell School Historic Site is located in Hillsborough. The original house was built by John Berry, circa. 1821. The house became property of the Hillsborough Presbyterian Church and in 1835 the home was provided to Reverend Robert Armistead Burwell and his family as the parsonage. The Burwells came to Hillsborough from Petersburg. When they arrived, they came with their two children, Mary and John Bott, as well as a young slave girl named Elizabeth "Lizzie" Hobbes (Keckly), later to go on to purchase her freedom and become the personal dressmaker and confidante of First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln.

In 1837, Mrs. Margaret Anna Burwell established her school for girls at this site. This was one of the earliest all-female academies in the South and provided the pupils, aged 8-16, a very well-rounded education. The school was a boarding school and students came from all over the Southeast and even as far away as NY, TX and FL to attend. Students who lived in Hillsborough also were educated here and on average, there were up to twenty boarding and day students attending per semester.

The original two-room school house, built 1837, still stands in the rear of the Burwell home. Bricks used to build this structure were a gift from Dr. Dr. James Webb, whose daughter Mary Webb Burwell School girl was the first student to be educated by Mrs. Burwell. As the school grew, Reverend Burwell chose to leave his appointment with the Presbyterian Church to oversee the school with his wife full time. At this time, the Burwells purchased the property and in 1848 commissioned John Berry to build a large addition to the house to accommodate the students, the large Burwell family which had grown to fourteen members, and their household staff.

The curriculum at the Burwell School was extensive for any female academy of the time. Subjects included the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic to much more diverse offerings such as geology, Watts on the Mind, chemistry, philosophy, lessons in astronomy and evidence of Christianity. In addition to the standard offerings, electives of foreign language, art and music were also taught.

The teachers at the school were the Reverend and Margaret Anna as well as former students previously educated under the Burwells' tutelage and other well respected educators from the outside community. Overall, during the twenty years of the school's operation (1837-57), over two hundred young women received their education here. Many of the students went on to teach and became administrators at other schools and women's colleges.

The school closed in 1857 when the Burwell family moved to Charlotte to assist in the establishment of Charlotte Female Institute which is today Queens College. Later, Reverend Burwell and his eldest son John would relocate to Raleigh where they were instrumental in the foundation of Peace2 College.

The Burwell School Historic Site was purchased by the Historic Hillsborough Commission in 1964 and has since been fully restored and made available to the public. It is situated on two acres in historic downtown Hillsborough. The original home (1821, 1848), schoolhouse and necessary house (1835) still stand and are open as a historic house museum and interpretive site. Tours, exhibits and special events are offered all year long, free to the public.

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Burwell School

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