Updated: 1/2/2017 
Burwell School Historic Site
Hillsborough, North Carolina
Description

The Burwell School is a a historic house museum on two acres in the Historic District of Hillsborough, NC, which was founded in 1754 and laid out in acre lots. The site includes the two-story frame building begun in 1821 and expanded in 1848, which served until that time as the Presbyterian manse as well as a girls' school. The site is named for the Burwell family which operated the school: Robert Armistead Burwell and wife Margaret Anna Robertson Burwell, both from and distinguished Virginia families, and their twelve children. The site includes a restored brick classroom building and a restored brick "necessary" building, as well as a small Southern garden and an example of the rare Musk Rose which was discovered on the property and was associated with the Robertson and Burwell families.

Mission

To preserve the Burwell School Historic Site and brings its story to the public.

History

The Burwell School Historic Site is a house museum displaying the home of the Rev. and Mrs. Robert Burwell, who from 1837 - 1857 operated a landmark female day and boarding academy attended by over 200 girls from the local area as well as across the state and beyond. From 1835 - 1841 this was also the home and workplace of Elizabeth Hobbs, later Elizabeth Keckly (1818 -1907), a young slave woman who later succeeded in purchasing her freedom and establishing a successful business as a modiste (designer/dressmaker) in Washington, DC, where she was the personal modiste and confidante to Mary Lincoln, an experience she documented in her autobiography.

The house was also a refuge in the Civil War for the wealthy and numerous family of Josiah Collins III of Washington County, NC.

Artifact Collections

Some personal possessions of the Burwell family and students at the School; some examples of the furniture of Thomas Day.

Research Collections

Online database of research on students at the School via: http://www.burwellschool.org/research/

Programs

In-depth tours Wednesday - Friday at 1 pm; on demand Saturday and Sunday.

School groups, Scout Groups, and other groups welcome for special tours.

http://www.burwellschool.org/tours

Facilities

Available for rental (weddings, meetings, parties). http://www.burwellschool.org/site-rental

Governance

The Historic Hillsborough Commission, established by the NC General Assembly in 1963, owns and operates the Burwell School Historic Site. The Commission is a non-profit organization representative of the greater community of Hillsborough and Orange County, NC and members are appointed by the NC Governor. All funds are raised locally from donors, events, and local government grants.

Services
A Historical Experience for your Special Events!

Host your wedding, reception, or special event at the Burwell School Historic Site, Hillsborough N.C. The site makes a lovely and picturesque setting for any occasion. We are located in Historical Downtown Hillsborough, conveniently located near I-85/40, close to Greesnboro, Burlington, Mebane, Chapel Hill, and Raleigh-Durham. The site's expansive lawn and period gardens surround a stately frame house with a long, inviting front porch. The Burwell Home features two parlors, a wide central hall with a handsome mahogany stairway and a formal dining room, all furnished with period antiques.

We can provide a coordinator for your event at your request. We also help facilitate local vendors, caterers, musicians, photographers, and anyone else who can make your event a success.

Event Rental
Group Tours
DISCLAIMER
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MUSEUM CONFERENCES

April 27 - April 29, 2025

Oregon Museum Association 2025 Conference

TBA

Independence, Oregon

Beginning in 2025, the OMA annual conference will be held in Spring rather than Fall

The conference this year is all about trying new things. We are hoping to organize the conference into the following four tracks: Collections Care, Leadership, Emergency Preparedness, and Tourism

Check our website for more details in early 2025

The OMA newsletter is emailed every month with updates on OMA events, museum news, other events, trainings, jobs, grants and more for the museum community in Oregon.

For more information, please email connect@oregonmuseums.org.

October 1 - October 4, 2025

Western Museums Association’s (WMA) 2025 Annual Meeting

TBA

Reno, Nevada

Save the Date for WMA 202

As we celebrate our 90th anniversary, join us to build relationships and soar higher than ever before. With the theme of ELEVATE, WMA 2025 will explore ways to lift up the experiences of cultural professionals and the communities they serve.

In Reno, Nevada, 4,400 feet above sea level, we will forward the progress of museums by looking to the future.

May 6 - May 9, 2025

2025 American Alliance of Museums (AAM) ANNUAL MEETING & MUSEUMEXPO

Los Angeles Convention Center

Los Angeles, California

AAM 2025 will focus on the theme, Museums & Trust.

Museums have long inspired high levels of public trust, surpassing news outlets, government organizations, researchers and scientists, corporations, and social media platforms. This consistent finding underscores our institutions’ unique position in society as stewards of knowledge, culture, science, and history—areas where credibility and reliability are paramount

In an era marked by mistrust and misinformation, museums have a rare ability to counterbalance the proliferation of false narratives and polarized perspectives. Using our trusted position, we can cultivate a more healthy, empathetic, and informed society.

But to do so, we must maintain our credibility proactively, embracing thoughtful, transparent, and collaborative practices that will defend against influences like bias, resource challenges, abuse of power, and social injustice

An Incredible MuseumExpo

AAM is again partnering this year with the Museum Store Association to host an incredible combined expo hall. Find the most innovative services, products, and solutions in the museum field. With 350 exhibitors, you are bound to find the right partner for your museum’s current challenges and opportunities.

May 5 - May 9, 2025

Museum Store Association FORWARD 2025 in LA

The Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles, California

Join MSA in LA

We’re excited about our next MSA FORWARD Conference & Expo in “The City of Angels” – Los Angeles, California in conjunction with the American Alliance of Museums

Join the Museum Store Association (MSA) and hundreds of nonprofit retail professionals for the 70th Annual MSA FORWARD Retail Conference & Expo, taking place May 5-9, 2025 at The Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California

Once again, MSA FORWARD will be held in conjunction with the 2025 American Alliance of Museums (AAM) Annual Meeting & Expo

Learn best practices and new ideas for store merchandising, operations, marketing, and sale

Participate in dedicated networking events and create connections that will inspire new ideas

Meet with over 200 MSA vendors about your product needs

Hear from knowledgeable industry experts during session breakouts and keynote presentations

Network with AAM attendees and exhibitor

September 10 - September 13, 2025

2025 Am Assoc for State and Local History Annual Conference

TBD

Cincinnati, Ohio

The 2025 AASLH Annual Conference, in partnership with Ohio Local History Alliance, will take place as the history field makes the final preparations to kickoff off the 250th commemoration of the founding of the United States.

The 2025 conference theme, inspired by AASLH’s Making History at 250: The Field Guide for Semiquincentennial, is an opportunity to broadly explore one of the guide’s themes, The American Experiment. For many in the American colonies in 1776, independence from Britain represented a “leap into the dark” into an unknown future

We are excited for you to join us in Cincinnati as we encourage discussion about our democracy and civic institutions and how they can help strengthen understanding, inspire action, and reveal ways that all of us can participate in and shape the ongoing American experiment.

For more information, please call 615-320-3203 or email info@aaslh.org.

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