The Book of Burwell Students

The Book of Burwell Students offers a rare glimpse into the world of women's education in the antebellum South. From 1837 to 1857, Anna and Robert Burwell ran the Burwell Female School in Hillsborough, North Carolina, educating more than two hundred young women. The Book of Burwell Students illuminates a time and place, now preserved as the Burwell School Historic Site. The late historian, Mary Claire Engstrom, wrote informative biographical sketches of many Burwell students, offering insight into life in antebellum Hillsborough, inside and outside of school, and the seminal role of Anna Burwell in shaping the students' lives.