A brief history of African American writing stations

Station N°5 is inspired in part by African American writing stations of the 19th and early 20th centuries. These stations were set up informally and formally — from schools and churches to homes — to help freed people practice the art and craft of handwriting and penmanship. Good penmanship was seen as a marker of intellect and a pathway toward freedom and uplift.

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The Rise of U.S. Anti-Literacy Laws

Before and during the American Civil War, the U.S. government enacted anti-literacy laws prohibiting enslaved people and some freedpeople from learning to read and write. Literacy, as well as singing, dancing and community gathering, were believed to incite resistance and rebellion among enslaved people. Harsh punishments were often leveled against enslaved people who were caught reading and writing.

Most notably was Nat Turner’s Rebellion (1831), led by preacher and fugitive Nat Turner, who learned to read and write in his childhood. To plan his rebellion, he organized small gatherings of rebels in the Great Dismal Swamp, which sits between Virginia and North Carolina. After this rebellion, Nat Turner was imprisoned, forced to confess, and then executed. As a consequence, Southern planters enacted harsher punishments against their Slaves* to further quell passions to incite rebellion.

White people who taught enslaved people to read and write were also subject to punishment, including hefty fines.

Examples of Anti-Literacy Laws:

1. South Carolina, 1740 Negro Act prohibited teaching enslaved people to write, though reading wasn't banned yet. Violators faced up to £100 fine and 6 months imprisonment

2. Georgia, 1759 and 1829 Acts

   • 1759: Modeled on South Carolina's law, forbidding teaching enslaved people to write

   • 1829: Expanded ban to all African Americans (enslaved or free), criminalizing instruction in both reading & writing, and banning distribution/importation of written material “for exciting insurrection.”

3. Alabama Slave Code, 1833 Section S31 made it a $250–$500 offense for teaching any Black person to spell, read, or write.

4. Virginia, 1831 (post-Nat Turner) banned any assembly of Black people for instruction; fines $10–$100 for teaching.

5. North Carolina, 1830–1831 stated: “Teaching slaves to read and write… tends to excite dissatisfaction… insurrection.” Punishments included 39 lashes.

   
   

The Emergence of Writing Stations

After the Civil War, newly freed African Americans placed a high priority on literacy, seeing it as a pathway to freedom, economic and social mobility, and self-determination. Many freedmen’s schools, often established by the Freedmen’s Bureau, Black churches, and abolitionist organizations, emphasized penmanship alongside reading and arithmetic. Black schools like Booker T. Washington’s Tuskegee Institute, for example, emphasized handwriting as part of industrial education.

Though later called “writing stations” by historians, these educational sites provided freedpeople opportunity to practice handwriting and penmanship. Many African Americans used their improved penmanship for writing letters, keeping records, and participating in political activism (e.g., petitioning for rights). Black-owned newspapers encouraged letter-writing from readers, fostering a culture of literacy. African Americans aspiring to work in clerical, business, or teaching professions needed strong penmanship.

Phillis Wheatley depicted writing with a quill pen on the cover of her book, On Various Subjects, Religious and Moral. The Wheatleys, a White family who owned Phillis before freeing her shortly after this publication, taught Phillis to read and write.

The Palmer Method of Business Writing

Austin Norman Palmer invented the Palmer Method, a handwriting system used for business writing. The system gained popularity in the late 19th century and was one of the dominant writing systems through the early 20th centuries. The Palmer Method was widely taught in Black schools, like the Hampton Institute and Tuskegee Institute, that trained students in handwriting to prepare them for jobs in business and education.

According to its website, “In the Palmer Method, freedom of movement is the foundation, and, through a constantly repeated series of rapid drills, the application of movement becomes a fixed habit of the learner.” Through strict drills, the Palmer Method produces penmen who focus on “legibility, rapidity, ease, and endurance,” while maintaining each penman’s individuality.

This method of writing decreased in popularity during the mid-20th century due to educators’ criticism of its over-emphasis on muscle memory and intense training exercises. Today, some individuals still indulge in its benefits. ThePalmerMethod.com provides additional information and resources.

A Palmer Method handwriting drill

Popular Stationery Brands

Penmen at writing stations would have primarily used dip pens and inks, though ballpoint pens were invented in 1888. Freedmen’s schools and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) often bought supplies in bulk from companies like Esterbrook, Carter’s and National Blank Book. Literary societies and mutual aid organizations sometimes pooled resources to secure nicer stationery for correspondence and documentation. Mail-order catalogs like Sears and Roebuck were key distributors of high-quality writing tools for rural African American communities that may not have otherwise had easy access due to segregation.

Below is a list of popular stationery brands used during the 19th and 20th centuries. Given our love for history and legacy, Station N°5 is eager to stock some of these brands, so stay tuned to our Shop and Instagram for new releases.

Pen Brands (Dip Pens and Fountain Pens)

• Esterbrook (U.S. 1858)

• Gillott (U.K., U.S. 1840s)

• Spencerian (U.S.)

• Waterman (U.S. 1884)

• Parker (early 20th century)

• Sheaffer (early 20th century)

Ink Brands

• Carter’s Ink Company (U.S.)

• Sanford Ink Company (U.S. 1857)

• Higgins Ink (U.S.)

Paper & Stationery Brands

• Crane & Co. (U.S. 1801)

• Eaton’s (Eaton, Crane & Pike)

• National Blank Book Company

• American Stationers

• Montgomery Ward