Laurens in Laurens County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Rich Hill

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

1. Rich Hill Marker, Side One

Inscription. This African-American neighborhood, roughly bounded by N. Caroline St., E. Hampton St., Laurel St., and E. Laurens St., was an uncleared forest owned by James H. Irby and then N.B. Dial before the Civil War. After 1865 so many freedmen and women bought lots and built homes here that by the 1880s the area was called “Rich Hill.” The historic houses here, most from the first half of the 20th century, reflect such architectural styles as Queen Anne and Craftsman.

Bethel A. M. E. Church, founded in 1868, and St. Paul First Baptist Church, founded in 1877, anchor this neighborhood. The present Bethel A. M. E. Church was built in 1910 and the present St. Paul First Baptist Church was built in 1912. Both are brick Romanesque Revival churches designed and built by local contractor Columbus White. St. Paul First Baptist Church also housed the first black public school in Laurens County until 1937.

Erected 2006 by the Piedmont Rural Telephone Cooperative. (Marker Number 30-12.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Architecture •

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical year for this entry is 1865.

Location. 34° 30.102′ N, 82° 0.883′ W. Marker is in Laurens, South Carolina, in Laurens County. It is at the intersection of East Hampton Avenue and Silver Street when traveling east on East Hampton Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 112 E Hampton Ave, Laurens SC 29360, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Upstate.

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: Laurens County / Laurens Historic District (approx. 0.2 miles away); Vietnam War (approx. 0.2 miles away); Watts Mills' World War II Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); Laurens County World Wars I & II Veterans Monument

Rich Hill Marker, Side Two image. Click for full size.

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

2. Rich Hill Marker, Side Two

(approx. 0.2 miles away); Laurens County Confederate Monument (approx. 0.2 miles away); Korean Conflict (approx. 0.2 miles away); Masonic Lodge #19 / Samuel Saxon (approx. 0.2 miles away); Laurens County Veterans Monument (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Laurens.

More about this marker. The Piedmont Rural Telephone Cooperative, the organization that sponsored and erected this historical marker, is the legacy telephone company in the area and provides landline telephone, internet, cable television and wireless service to residents in Laurens, Spartanburg and Abbeville counties.

Regarding Rich Hill. Bethel A. M. E. Church, 234 Caroline St., fell into disrepair and was razed in 2009.

Also see . . . Photos of Bethel A.M.E. Church. This Flikr page has numerous photos of the church taken just before it was torn down. (Submitted on July 1, 2025, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.)

Rich Hill Marker image. Click for full size.

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

3. Rich Hill Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on July 1, 2025. It was originally submitted on July 1, 2025, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 178 times since then and 32 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 1, 2025, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.

Editor’s want-list for this marker. Photo of St. Paul First Baptist Church • Can you help?