Alvin in Berkeley County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Laurel Hill School

Photographed by J. J. Prats, March 25, 2025

1. Laurel Hill School Marker, Side One

Inscription. This is the last site of Laurel Hill School, which served African American families mainly from the community of Alvin. It was founded by the 1910s, when around thirty students attended. Classes were conducted in a wooden one-room schoolhouse and at a local church before moving to this site by 1940. A pair of cypress trees flanked the school’s entrance off the road.

The Laurel Hill School built here was a larger frame facility, painted white with a tin roof. It enrolled 147 pupils in grades 1-6 in 1953-54. The next year, it was one of several Berkeley County Schools to close amid consolidation. The building here was repurposed as the Alvin Community Center. It burned in 1979, and the Center was moved into a new site across the road in 1986.

Erected 2020 by Department of Archives and History. Sponsored by the Alvin Recreational League, Inc. (Marker Number 8-77.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education. A significant historical year for this entry is 1940.

Location. 33° 20.819′ N, 79° 48.871′ W. Marker is in Alvin, South Carolina, in Berkeley County.

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It is on Santee River Road (South Carolina Route 45) north of Schurlknight Road, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2176 Santee River Rd, Saint Stephen SC 29479, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Lowcountry

and in Santee Cooper Country.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. 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 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 9 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Suttons Methodist Church (approx. 4.8 miles away); L. Mendel Rivers House (approx. 7.1 miles away); St. Stephen's Episcopal Church (approx. 7.2 miles away); St. Stephen Colored School / St. Stephen High School (approx. 7.4 miles away); St. Stephen (White) High School

Laurel Hill School Marker, Side Two image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, March 25, 2025

2. Laurel Hill School Marker, Side Two

(approx. 7.6 miles away); St. Stephens Veterans Monument (approx. 7.9 miles away); Battle of Lenud's Ferry (approx. 8.3 miles away); Berkeley County (approx. 8.3 miles away).

Laurel Hill School Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, March 25, 2025

3. Laurel Hill School Marker

Laurel Hill School Site image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, March 25, 2025

4. Laurel Hill School Site

Credits. This page was last revised on April 14, 2025. It was originally submitted on April 14, 2025, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 188 times since then and 35 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on April 14, 2025, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.