Resident of St. Helena Island, SC (Beaufort County). His father, George Brown, taught basketmaking at the Penn School on St. Helena Island in the early 20th Century. The school was founded in the 1860s to teach former slaves skills and trades, but difficult economic times forced the school to close in the 1940s. (It later reopened and is now a historical landmark, the Penn Center.) It was during this time that Leroy Browne, who also attended Penn School, acquired many of the baskets his father and students had made for the school.

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Baskets at Penn School | Digital Traditions
Baskets at Penn School | Digital Traditions
Episode 2

Audio

Grades: Higher Education

Resident of St. Helena Island, SC (Beaufort County). His father, George Brown, taught basketmaking at the Penn School on St. Helena Island in the early 20th Century. The school was founded in the...
Pine Needles | Digital Traditions
Pine Needles | Digital Traditions
Episode 8

Audio

Grades: Higher Education

Leroy Browne explains that pine needles in the area are the short needle pine and are not that good for basketmaking.
Modern Restrictions | Digital Traditions
Modern Restrictions | Digital Traditions
Episode 10

Audio

Grades: Higher Education

Leroy Browne explains the modern restrictions on gathering bulrush. He can no longer freely go in the creek and marsh to gather materials since the lands are protected.
Leroy Browne's Photos | Digital Traditions
Leroy Browne's Photos | Digital Traditions

Photo

Grades: Higher Education

Resident of St. Helena Island, SC (Beaufort County). His father, George Brown, taught basketmaking at the Penn School on St. Helena Island in the early 20th Century. The school was founded in the...