Laura Matilda Towne

Laura Matilda Towne
Portrait of teacher Laura M. Towne with students Dick, Maria and Amoretta[1]
Born	May 3, 1825 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	February 22, 1901 Saint Helena Island, South Carolina, U.S.
Resting place	Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupation	Educator

Laura Matilda Towne (May 3, 1825 – February 22, 1901) was an American abolitionist and educator who founded the first school in the United States for the education of freedmen, the Penn School, in 1862 on Saint Helena Island, South Carolina. The school was established as part of the Port Royal Experiment during the American Civil War.