What are the opening hours?

Tuesday 9am - 5pm Wednesday 9am - 5pm Thursday 9am - 5pm Friday 9am - 5pm Saturday 9am - 5pm

Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum State Historic Site

Home
United States
Gibsonville, NC
Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum State Historic Site

Call Directions Website

North Carolina’s first State Historic Site to honor an African American and a Woman. Our site offers tours, activities, and private rentals.

The Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum is North Carolina’s first and only official State Historic Site to honor an African American and a woman. The site is the former Palmer Memorial Institute, an African American preparatory school established by Brown in 1902. The historic site opened to the public in 1987 and has as its mission to preserve and interpret the history and cultural legacy of Dr. Charlotte Hawkins Brown, Palmer Memorial Institute and African American education. Visitors can explore and learn about a unique environment where many African American boys and girls lived and learned during the greater part of the 20th Century. Call today to set something up! Additional links to uncover more about the legacy of Dr. Brown:
http://ncpedia.org/biography/brown-charlotte-hawkins -1344
http://www.biography.com/people/charlotte-hawkins-brown-206525
and a selection from a fantastic PBS documentary, "The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow"
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stories_people_brown.html

11/09/2026

Have you ever wondered what it was like to hear music playing in Canary Cottage as it was during Dr. Brown's time? Join us November 14 and December 5 for Music at the Cottage to find out! We will be joined by the Piano and Music Club at North Raleigh Christian Academy during 1 pm and 3 pm tours. They have been working on music connected to Canary Cottage's history. Help us to continue to celebrate 100 years of Canary Cottage by enhancing your experience inside it.

Reserve your spot here: November 14 at 1 pm - https://tinyurl.com/MusicCottage1 , December 5 at 1 pm - https://tinyurl.com/MusicCottage2 . December 5 at 3 pm - https://tinyurl.com/MusicCottage3 .

THIS RESERVATION IS NOT A TOUR TICKET!! Tickets must be purchased onsite before your tour begins. Tickets can be purchased at the Visitors Center (brick cottage with 6136 over door next to yellow cottage) after arriving on site.Tour tickets are $2.14 (tax included) per adult 18 to 64 and $1.07 per child (3-17), senior (65+) and military personnel. Payments can be made with cash, card or check.

11/07/2026

As we close out these Homecoming season highlight, join us in singing a song sung by Palmer students in their day "Old Palmer Spirit"! Does your school have a song like this? Let us know in the comments!

Lyrics for "Old Palmer Spirit" are below:

Gimme that old Palmer spirit (x3)
It's good enough for me.

It was good for Mrs. Crosson (x3)
It's good enough for me.

It was good for Dr. Brown (x3)
It's good enough for me.

Gimme that old Palmer spirit (x3)
It's good enough for me.

11/05/2026

It’s Homecoming season! There are still a few big games and celebrations taking place. Check out this early Palmer parade float from the school’s agricultural department and the junior cheerleaders from 1955-1956!

Have you ever participated in a parade? Perhaps helped build or design a float for one? How about walking with a team and waving the crowd? Let us know if the comments! We would love to reminisce with you!

📸 Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum

Photo 1: 2 horses pull a small parade float with 1 driver sitting inside the float.

Photo 2: Seven female students stand in cheerleading poses. 5 are standing with arms raised at shoulder level but bent inward. 2 are squatting with hands in their laps in front of the others.

11/03/2026

Today is Election Day! And on this day in 1936, Palmer students headed to the Alice Freeman Palmer Building to cast their ballots in a mock presidential election. Spoiler alert: FDR won 3.5 to 1 in the student election predicting the national results!

The Sedalia Sentinel, Palmer’s student newspaper, captured the election buzz complete with breakdowns of the national election. Want to read all about it in, click here: https://nrs.harvard.edu/URN-3:RAD.SCHL:16238332:VIEW?page=51246579. Multiple Sedalia Sentinel issues are held at Schlesinger Library | Radcliffe Institute | Harvard University. Head over to their online archives to check them out!

Note: The students featured in this photo are Sedalia Sentinel staffers from 1947.

📸 Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum

Alt Text: Multiple students stand and sit around 2 tables tying on typewriters and handling papers. Books line a wall to the left of the students. Some students talk with one another while others look down at their work.

10/31/2026

Wishing a Happy 100th Homecoming to all NC A&T State University students, staff, friends, family, and alumni! Have a great time celebrating and honoring the legacy that you each have left on the campus at this year's Greatest Homecoming on Earth! Can we get an AGGIE PRIDE!!

Feel free to drop your favorite NC A&T SU Homecoming Memory in the comments below. We would love to share the excitement with you!

10/29/2026

It’s Homecoming season! It’s a time for alumni to return to campus and reflect on their own time in school PLUS celebrate the school’s founding, administrators and alumni. This homecoming season, let’s take a look at a few of Palmer Memorial Institute’s highlights over the years.

Before we begin, share a few of your favorite homecoming experience, no matter the school, with us in the comments! We would love to celebrate with you!

📸 Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum

10/28/2026

Early Voting ends this week! If you're registered to vote in Guilford County and would like to vote at the Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum the polls are only open for 4 more days! Poll hours are as follows for the rest of the week:

Wednesday October 28 - Friday October 30: 8am - 7:30pm
Saturday October 31 (LAST DAY): 8am - 3pm

The Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum is not an Election Day polling site. If you'd like to vote on Tuesday November 3rd please go to your assigned polling location to cast your ballot!

10/24/2026

Looking for ways to get involved in your local community? Join us in our growing season at CHB! We are looking for groups and individuals to assist with our community garden, projects around the site, giving tours, hosting field trips, and more!

Interested? Sign up here: https://tinyurl.com/CHBMvolunteer. Know someone who would like interesting ways to complete community service hours? Reach out to us at [email protected] or (336) 449 - 3310 to chat!

We look forward to working with you!

10/21/2026

SAVE THE DATE! The Sedalia Film Festival will take place on November 21, 2026 at the Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum. Come ready to see some wonderful films and to engage with the community and filmmakers. See you there!

10/17/2026

The Guilford County Board of Elections has chosen the Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum as one of their early voting locations for the 2026 election. Early Voting started on Thursday October 15th and runs through October 31st in Kimball Hall.

The dates and times for Early Voting are as follows:

October 15th-16th: 8:00am-7:30pm
October 17th-18th: CLOSED
October 19th-23rd: 8:00am-7:30pm
October 24th-25th: 10:00am-5:00pm
October 26th-30th: 8:00am-7:30pm
October 31st: 8:00am-3:00pm

Please note that on Election Day, November 3rd, the Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum will NOT be a polling location. You must vote at your assigned polling location on that day.

Address

6136 Burlington Road
Gibsonville, NC
27249

Opening Hours

Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm
Saturday	9am - 5pm

Telephone

+13364493310

Website

http://historicsites.nc.gov/all-sites/charlotte-hawkins-brown-museum, https://historicsites.nc.gov/all-sites/charlotte-h

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum State Historic Site posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.