Support This Site
Volunteering at the Museum
Volunteers at the Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum bring unique skills, experiences and connections to every task they take on, and there are opportunities for every skill and interest level. One of our primary needs is volunteer docents, those special people who lead tours of campus and Canary Cottage, but other activities include assisting with field trips, special events, providing general visitor services and working on special projects. Volunteering is a great way to meet new people, to indulge your love of history and to get experience in the workplace!
Opportunities include:
Docent: Leading tours of the campus and Canary Cottage. Docents also assist with special events and programs and provide general visitor services. Physical requirements include being able to walk the campus and climb stairs. The Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, 9 AM to 5 PM. It is requested that volunteer docents complete at least two hours per week, but scheduling is very flexible. No previous experience is required, and training will be provided on site.
Field trips: Leading tours and facilitating field trip programming.
Special Events and Programs: These are held on the weekends and are scheduled many months in advance. Scheduling during events is flexible, but it is preferred that a volunteer be able to participate three to four hours for most of these events. Physical requirements include being able to walk the campus and standing or sitting for long periods of time.
If you are interested in volunteering or would like more information, please contact Liz Torres Melendez at liz.melendez@dncr.nc.gov or 336-449-3310.
Donate to the Museum
Donating to the museum is the most direct way to support the programming done by the Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum. Money from donations goes towards general site improvements like landscaping and maintenance projects, and programs like Christmas in Sedalia and Black Heritage Day. Donations are welcome in person at any of our events or during your visit, but there is another special way to donate and make your mark on campus through the Donor Bricks in the Plaza program.
Donor Bricks in the Plaza:
The Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum is proud to re-introduce the Alice Freeman Palmer Plaza as our new Donor Plaza! As part of largescale repairs and upgrades to the property in the early 2000s, the AFP Plaza (a brick and cement plaza) was constructed in the footprint of the original Alice Freeman Palmer building on the school’s campus.
The original AFP building was built in 1921 and served as the main classroom building at Palmer. The largest and first building in town to have indoor plumbing and electricity, AFP was an architectural marvel in the small town of Sedalia. Holding offices, classrooms, an auditorium, a library, and an art gallery, the AFP was the heart of the campus. In February 1971, the building caught fire and burned beyond repair. Today, you can still see some of the 225,000 bricks, handmade by Palmer students, outlining the footprint of the building. Inside of that footprint sits the AFP Plaza, which will now be used as a space to commemorate financial donors.
Please consider donating to the Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum! Your generous donations help us in our efforts to engage the community in educational programs and events that celebrate African American history and culture, as well as contribute to the preservation of our buildings and site as a whole. To get started, fill out the form below and thank you for your continued support!
If you would like more information, please contact the site at chb@dncr.nc.gov or 336-449-3310.