Midtown - Downtown in Columbia in Richland County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Early Howard School Site

Photographed By Mike Stroud, 2010

1. Early Howard School Site Marker

Inscription. On this site stood Howard School, a public school for blacks established after the Civil War. By 1869 there was a two-story frame building large enough for 800 pupils. Partially funded by the Freedmen's Bureau, the school reportedly was named for Oliver O. Howard, first commissioner, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. For years the only public school for blacks in Columbia, Howard was moved 5 blocks NW, 1924.

Erected 1990 by The Howard School Community Club. (Marker Number 40-112.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education • Notable Buildings. A significant historical year for this entry is 1869.

Location. 34° 0.226′ N, 81° 2.44′ W. Marker is in Columbia, South Carolina, in Richland County. It is in Midtown - Downtown. Marker is on Hampton Street (State Highway 12) near Lincoln Street, on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Columbia SC 29201, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Zion Baptist Church (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); A Living Sanctuary: Zion Baptist Church and Columbia's Civil Rights Struggle (about 600 feet away); South Carolina State Vietnam War Memorial (about 700 feet away); Victory Savings Bank

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(about 700 feet away); South Carolina Gold Star Families (about 700 feet away); The Columbia (S.C.) Holocaust Memorial (about 700 feet away); The Big Apple (about 700 feet away); A Tribute To All U.S. Military Personnel On This Day Of Infamy (about 800 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Columbia.

Also see . . . Oliver Otis Howard, Wikipedia entry. From May 1865 to July 1874, General Howard was commissioner of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. He was placed in command of the Department of the Columbia in 1874, went west to Washington Territory's Fort Vancouver, where he fought in the Indian Wars, particularly against the Nez Perce, with the resultant surrender of Chief Joseph. (Submitted on May 1, 2010, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.)

Early Howard School Site Marker, near the intersection of Hampton Street and Lincoln Street image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Mike Stroud, March 27, 2010

2. Early Howard School Site Marker, near the intersection of Hampton Street and Lincoln Street

Early Howard School Site Marker, looking west along Hampton Street image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Mike Stroud, March 27, 2010

3. Early Howard School Site Marker, looking west along Hampton Street

General Oliver Otis Howard image. Click for full size.

Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Brady-Handy Collection

4. General Oliver Otis Howard

For whom the school was named after

Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 1, 2010, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 1,788 times since then and 28 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on May 1, 2010, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.