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<br /> ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
<br /> PROCLAMATION
<br /> COMMEMORATING THE 2OOTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BURWELL SCHOOL
<br /> PRESENTED TO THE HISTORIC HILLSBOROUGH COMMISSION
<br /> WHEREAS, the Burwell School Historic Site, located at the northern edge of the Historic District of
<br /> Hillsborough, North Carolina, includes an early 19th-century structure, circa 1821 and expanded in
<br /> 1848, surrounded by outbuildings and gardens on two acres; and
<br /> WHEREAS, the property was the home of the Reverend Robert and Margaret Anna Burwell and their
<br /> family beginning in 1835, and, at this site, Anna Burwell founded and operated the Burwell School for
<br /> Girls, an academy for privileged white girls, from 1837 to 1857 — offering lessons in English, French,
<br /> Mathematics, Art and more—educating more than 200 girls who came from near and far to study here;
<br /> and
<br /> WHEREAS,African Americans, both enslaved and free,provided much of the labor for the maintenance
<br /> of the school and grounds, and provided personal services to family members and students; and
<br /> WHEREAS, Elizabeth "Lizzie" Hobbs Keckly, once enslaved by the Burwell family and also the half-
<br /> sister to Reverend Burwell, purchased her freedom in 1855 and became the accomplished dressmaker
<br /> and confidante to Mary Todd Lincoln while she was First Lady; and
<br /> WHEREAS, the Historic Hillsborough Commission, a non-profit organization established by the North
<br /> Carolina General Assembly in 1963, obtained the Burwell School property in 1965,restored the existing
<br /> buildings and opened them to the public as a historic site; and
<br /> WHEREAS, Mary Claire Engstrom, a local leader in preservation, was instrumental in the
<br /> establishment of the Commission and served as its chair during the restoration of the Burwell School;
<br /> and
<br /> WHEREAS, the mission of the Commission is to maintain and preserve the Burwell School Historic
<br /> Site, to interpret the history of 19th and 20th century Hillsborough, and to celebrate and promote the
<br /> culture and heritage of Hillsborough and Orange County; and
<br /> WHEREAS, members of the Commission are appointed by the North Carolina Governor, and they,
<br /> along with community volunteers, donate time and effort to the operation and upkeep of the site; and
<br /> WHEREAS, in 2018, the Commission honored the bicentennial of the birth of Elizabeth Keckly with a
<br /> series of programs and events, and an exhibit about Keckly is in the South Parlor of the school; and
<br /> WHEREAS, in 2019, the Commission published a landmark report recognizing and acknowledging the
<br /> contributions of the people of color, free and enslaved, who worked and lived at the site during the
<br /> operation of the Burwell School;
<br /> NOW THEREFORE, the Board of County Commissioners of Orange County does hereby proclaim
<br /> Sunday, October 24th, 2021 as Burwell School Historic Site Day in Orange County in celebration of
<br /> the Bicentennial of the Site, and in appreciation of the Historic Hillsborough Commission for its work
<br /> in preservation and in elucidating an inclusive history of Hillsborough and Orange County.
<br /> This the 19th day of October, 2021.
<br /> SEAL Renee A. Price, Chair
<br /> Orange County Board of Commissioners
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