Tours

Tours are offered free of charge. Donations are appreciated. Click here for hours and directions.

Guided Tours

Docent-led tours focus on life in the Burwell School from 1837 - 1857 when it was home to the Burwell family, the enslaved members of the Burwell household and the students at the Burwell's landmark school for young women.

History truly comes to life for visitors in these tours through the words of their 19th century residents – the daily entries of Anna Burwell as she struggles to balance the business of her school and the needs of her family, the memoir of Elizabeth Hobbes Keckly chronicling her enslavement, and the letters of students who are both homesick and exhilarated by their experiences at the school.

The 45 minute tour includes a 10 minute overview of the site followed by a 35 minute room-by-room tour.

Self-Guided Tours

A self-guided tour of the Carrie Waitt Spurgeon Garden is available to visitors interested in the area’s horticultural history.

In 2004, the Burwell School debuted a self-guided tour interpreting its Civil War history when the residence was home to approximately 40 members of the Collins household, a fact that earned it he nickname of “the Beehive.” In the Beehive Tour, history is made real and compelling through period documents such as recipes, home remedies, letters, and newspaper advertisements.

Alliance Tours

The Burwell School is also open to visitors through the guided tour service operated by the Alliance for Historic Hillsborough.