West Columbia in Lexington County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Lakeview School
This was the last site of a segregated school for Black residents of Brookland-Cayce School District with roots to at least the 1900s. First called the Brookland or New Brookland Colored School, is was located on Lacy Street by c. 1931 when it served grades 1-8. Grade 11 was added in 1938-39, making it then a 4-year high school with 4 initial graduates. In 1939, the community renamed the school "Lakeview" for its location overlooking nearby "Horseshoe Lake."
Lakeview left its wooden facility on Lacy Street in 1949, when the school moved to a new brick building at this site. A new elementary building in 1953 and other later additions were funded by the state equalization program, an effort to preserve segregation by upgrading the quality of African American schools. In 1968, the school district closed Lakeview amid efforts at desegregation. A year later, the campus was repurposed for the new Northside Middle School
Erected 2020 by South Carolina State Historic Preservation Office, sponsored by Brookland-Lakeview Empowerment Center & Greater Lakeview Alumni Association. (Marker Number 32-46.)
Topics and series.
this page online
Location. 33° 59.517′ N, 81° 4.605′ W. Marker is in West Columbia, South Carolina, in Lexington County. It is on Batchelor Street west of North Street, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1217 Batchelor St, West Columbia SC 29169, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Midlands and in the Greater Columbia Area. 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 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Lakeview High School (a few
Another marker is no longer nearby. Saluda Factory (was approx. one mile away but has been confirmed missing).
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), January 15, 2026
3. National Register of Historic Places plaque for the school
Credits. This page was last revised on January 19, 2026. It was originally submitted on January 16, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 49 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on January 16, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
Editor’s want-list for this marker. Clear, daylight photos of the marker. • Clear, daylight photos of the context and school (may be the same photo). • A link to the National Register of Historic Places nomination form, citing the historical significance of the school building. • Can you help?
