Bennettsville in Marlboro County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

East Side School

Photographed by J. J. Prats, March 19, 2025

1. East Side School Marker, Side One

Inscription. This campus opened in 1954 as East Side School. It sat on a 72-acre former dairy farm, most of which was later included in Lake Paul Wallace. Initially an elementary school, East Side expanded to grades 1-12 in 1956 when it replaced a facility on King Street as Bennettsville’s Black high school. More than 1,000 students attended that year. East Side was funded by the S.C. equalization program, a state effort to preserve segregation by upgrading African American schools.

In addition to classrooms, the original campus included a gymnasium, auditorium, library, labs, a shop, and a former farmhouse that became the family home of Floyd B. Walker, Sr. and Tomasena Gupple Walker, East Side’s first principal and first librarian. The school was designed by Columbia architects Lyles, Bissett, Carlisle & Wolff. A football field was later added to the northeast. It became a junior high school in 1969 during integration and was later an elementary school.

Erected 2023 by Department of Archives and History. Sponsored by East Side School Preservation Alumni Association. (Marker Number 35-47.)

Topics.

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This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education. A significant historical year for this entry is 1954.

Location. 34° 37.715′ N, 79° 40.506′ W. Marker is in Bennettsville, South Carolina, in Marlboro County. It is at the intersection of North Cook Street and Country Club Road (County Route S35-220), on the left when traveling north on North Cook Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 401 N Cook St, Bennettsville SC 29512, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in South Carolina’s Pee Dee.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once 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 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Magnolia (approx. 0.6 miles away); Bennettsville (approx. 0.7 miles away); Bennettsville Methodist Church

East Side School Marker, Side Two image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, March 19, 2025

2. East Side School Marker, Side Two

(approx. ¾ mile away); Playhouse Theatre (approx. 0.9 miles away); Marlboro Civic Center (approx. 0.9 miles away); Confederate Civil War Monument (approx. 0.9 miles away); General John McQueen (approx. one mile away); Miller-Turner House (approx. one mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bennettsville.

East Side School and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, March 19, 2025

3. East Side School and Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on March 23, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 23, 2025, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 220 times since then and 44 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 23, 2025, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.