Walhalla in Oconee County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
The English School
Photographed by Stanley and Terrie Howard, July 19, 2009
1. The English School Marker
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Walhalla, in what was Pickens District until Oconee County was created in 1868, was founded by the German Colonization Society of Charleston in 1850 and boasted as many as 500 German settlers by 1855. The first school offering instruction in English opened in a frame building on Church Street between mid-1850 and late 1852. It was described in January 1853 as "a good English school on the square attended by twenty German Children."
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Prof. G.H.D. Cramer was the first teacher at this elementary school for younger German children. In late 1853, St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church was formally organized with Rev. Carl F. Bansemer as its first pastor and as professor at the English school. Bansemer was also professor of a classical academy founded in 1857. When he left Walhalla in 1860, Prof. Cramer resumed teaching at the English school and remained until his death in 1874.
Erected 2007 by Oconee County Arts & Historical Commission. (Marker Number 37-15.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical month for this entry is January 1853.
Location. 34° 45.905′ N, 83° 4.148′ W. Marker is in Walhalla, South Carolina, in
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in South Carolina’s and pstate, in the Foothills, in the Golden Corner. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 10 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: John A. Wagener Monument (within shouting distance of this marker); St. Johns Lutheran Church (within shouting distance of this marker); Gen. John A. Wagener (within shouting distance of this marker); Patriot's Hall: Oconee Veterans Museum (within shouting distance of this marker); Cherokee Path (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Oconee Mountain (about 400 feet away); Oconee County Veterans Memorial (about 500 feet away); Colonel R.T. Jaynes (about 500 feet away); Combat Infantrymen Monument (about 500 feet away); The Lynching of Allen Green (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Walhalla.
Photographed by Stanley and Terrie Howard, July 19, 2009
2. The English School Marker
Photographed by Brian Scott, April 8, 2013
3. The English School Marker
Front
Front
Photographed by Brian Scott, April 8, 2013
4. The English School Marker
Reverse
Reverse
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on July 19, 2009, by Stanley and Terrie Howard of Greer, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 1,066 times since then and 27 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 19, 2009, by Stanley and Terrie Howard of Greer, South Carolina. 3, 4. submitted on April 25, 2013, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.
