Central in Pickens County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

The Central African-American Schoolhouse

Presently the Central Community Center

Photographed by J. J. Prats, May 18, 2025

1. The Central African-American Schoolhouse Marker

Inscription.

The Central African-American Schoolhouse. Presently the Central Community Center. In 1949, the building was a white, four-room wooden structure with a ceiled interior painted light green and brown. The building had two classrooms, a dining room and a kitchen. The two classrooms could be converted into an auditorium by removing a beaverboard partition. The primary classroom was furnished with tables and chairs but the intermediate classroom featured double desks. Both classrooms uzed coal heaters. , Though reports conflict on the location of the original schoolhouse, the Central African-American School was probably established in 1880 on the Carson Property. According to Betty Hendricks in her Furman University Masters Thesis entitled Pickens County Negro Schools, the present school was established at the present site with an enrolment of 60 students. The building itself was worth $400, while the school’s small equipment supply was valued at $10. , in 1913, 45 students were enrolled at the Central African-American School, though the average attendance was 29 students, and the school term ran for 100 days. The teacher had a first grader certificate and received a salary of $25/year. , From a one-teacher school in 1009, Central advanced to three teachers and eight grades by 1940. In 1946, the school returned to a two-teacher facility and had an enrollment of 56 students in 1949. An assistant teacher taught 1st-3rd grade while the principal taught 4th–7th grade. After finishing grammar school, students went by bus to Liberty Colored School. , In 1957, the Pickens County School District and Pickens County Board of Education closed the school and donated use of the facility to Central Community Center trustees (James Watkins, Franklin Gaines and Israel Hamilton) “for use and benefit of the community as a community building, subject to option to demand reconveyance if said building should be again needed for school purposes.” , Over the years, members of the Central Community Center have used the facility for gatherings for the Black community. These members are also involved in the South Carolina National Heritage Corridor, the Central Heritage Society and other groups promoting tourism and historic preservation in the Upstate of South Carolina.

In 1949, the building was a white, four-room wooden structure with a ceiled interior painted light green and brown. The building had two classrooms, a dining room and a kitchen. The two classrooms could be converted into an auditorium by removing a beaverboard partition. The primary classroom was furnished with tables and chairs but the intermediate classroom featured double desks. Both classrooms uzed coal heaters.

Though reports conflict on the location of the original schoolhouse, the Central African-American School was probably established in 1880 on the Carson Property. According to Betty Hendricks in her Furman University Masters Thesis entitled Pickens County Negro Schools, the present school was established at the present site with an enrolment of 60 students. The building itself was worth $400, while the school’s small equipment supply was valued at $10.

in 1913, 45 students were enrolled at the Central African-American School, though the average attendance was 29 students, and the school term ran for 100 days. The teacher had a first grader certificate and received a salary of $25/year.

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From a one-teacher school in 1009, Central advanced to three teachers and eight grades by 1940. In 1946, the school returned to a two-teacher facility and had an enrollment of 56 students in 1949. An assistant teacher taught 1st-3rd grade while the principal taught 4th–7th grade. After finishing grammar school, students went by bus to Liberty Colored School.

In 1957, the Pickens County School District and Pickens County Board of Education closed the school and donated use of the facility to Central Community Center trustees (James Watkins, Franklin Gaines and Israel Hamilton) “for use and benefit of the community as a community building, subject to option to demand reconveyance if said building should be again needed for school purposes.”

Over the years, members of the Central Community Center have used the facility for gatherings for the Black community. These members are also involved in the South Carolina National Heritage Corridor, the Central Heritage Society and other groups promoting tourism and historic preservation in the Upstate of South Carolina.

Erected by the Town of Central, the Mountain

The Former Central Colored School image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, May 18, 2025

2. The Former Central Colored School

This marker can be seen at the bottom of the steps, to the left.

Lakes Heritage Corridor/South Carolina National Heritage Corridor & the Central Heritage Society.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Charity & Public Work. A significant historical year for this entry is 1949.

Location. 34° 43.293′ N, 82° 47.126′ W. Marker is in Central, South Carolina, in Pickens County. It is at the intersection of West Main Street (South Carolina Route 93) and Hamilton Street, on the right when traveling south on West Main Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 714 W Main St, Central SC 29630, United States of America. Touch for directions.

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

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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: Central Colored School (a few steps from this marker); Central (approx. ¼ mile away); Central, South Carolina (approx. ¼ mile away); The Werner Family (approx. ¼ mile away); A Community Born of the Railroad (approx. ¼ mile away); Central School (approx. 0.3 miles away); Bertha Evans Morgan Rose Garden (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Central History Museum (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Central.

More about this marker. This interpretive panel is illustrated with four photographs. Clockwise from left:

1. An uncaptioned photograph of a stack of books, some well worn

2. Central African-American Schoolhouse, Present Day

3. Trustees for the Central African-American Schoolhouse. (L to R) J.C. Hamilton, Polly Hamilton, Savannah Hamilton and Willie Gaines

4. Dedication of sculpture honoring the Central African-American Schoolhouse on July 3, 2007. Funds provided by the Town. Pictured (L to R): Willie Gaines, Polly Hamilton & J.C. Hamilton.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 22, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 22, 2025, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 139 times since then and 22 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 22, 2025, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.