Charleston, South Carolina – The Avery Research Center commemorates 160 years since the establishment of the Avery Normal Institute, a school for previously enslaved African Americans that is still used as an educational hub today.
The research center has large archives covering Lowcountry history, some of which date back to the 18th century. The institution serves as both a repository and a welcome location for tourists looking to connect with their past.
“Whenever you come into the Avery, we’ll always greet you and say welcome home. Regardless of who you are. Because you’ll be able to discover yourself. You will be able to find your family. “You’ll be able to find anything in our building,” stated Daron Lee Calhoun II of the Avery Research Center.
Historic significance is preserved.
In the late 1860s, the facility housed a K-12 private school that educated and prepared previously enslaved youngsters for professional vocations. Notable figures associated with the institute include W.E.B. DuBois, who visited several times, and Septima Clark, who graduated in 1916.
The facility holds Clark’s handwritten writings and a book with a personal note from Langston Hughes. Physical vestiges of the building’s history may still be seen, including pillars from 1868 and fingerprints from the formerly enslaved African Americans who built it, which are now painted gold and visible in the brickwork.
Research destination
The archives attract researchers from all across the world. Lara Roessig, a German postdoctoral researcher, came to Charleston particularly to access the collections.
“The Avery Research Center has been extremely helpful.” There are a lot of materials here. I’ve been here for three weeks and have gone through a lot of collections,” Roessig added.
The center’s personnel characterize their mission as sharing rather than limiting access to historical materials.
“We are not gatekeepers of history, but we are here to share the history with the world,” according to Calhoun.
Visitors frequently discover family ties through yearbooks and other items stored in the library, with some feeling emotional when they identify ancestors chronicled in the collection.
The Avery Research Center will hold the 2025 Avery Family Reunion on Sunday, November 16, at Burke High School. The event will include live music, traditional storytelling, local merchants, and food.
