Irmo in Richland County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Harold Boulware House
Photographed by Steve Stoessel, May 9, 2026
1. Harold Boulware House Marker
This was the adult home of pioneering S.C. civil rights attorney Harold R. Boulware (1913-1982). Born and raised in Irmo, Boulware attended Harbison Institute where his parents were both teachers. In 1938 he obtained his law degree from Howard Univ. He began practicing in Columbia around 1940. He became chief counsel for the S.C. NAACP in 1941. He moved to this site in the early 1950s to care for his parents. The extant home dates to 1956.
Boulware worked cases that equalized Black teacher pay (1944-46) and yielded such landmark rulings as Elmore v. Rice (1947), which ended S.C.'s white primary system, and Briggs v. Elliott, one of five cases that in 1954 led the U.S. Supreme Court to find school segregation unconstitutional in Brown v. Board of Education. Later a Richland County judge. Boulware lived in this house from 1956 until his death in 1983.
Erected 2024 by African American Historical Society of Irmo, African American Heritage Commission. (Marker Number 40 - 229.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights. A significant historical year for this entry is 1938.
Location. 34° 5.203′ N, 81° 8.764′ W. Marker is in Irmo, South Carolina, in Richland County. It is at the intersection
this page online
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 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 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: St. Paul Church / Oak Grove (approx. 1.1 miles away); Town of Irmo (approx. 2 miles away); Pine Grove Rosenwald School (approx. 2.1 miles away); Richlex School Site (approx. 2.6 miles away); St. Andrew's Lutheran Church (approx. 3 miles away); Bethlehem Church (approx. 3 miles away); Zion Lutheran Church / Dreher's Fort (approx. 4.6 miles away); World War II Bombing Ranges (approx. 4.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Irmo.
Also see . . .
1. All for Civil Rights. (Submitted on May 20, 2026, by Steve Stoessel of Niskayuna, New York.)
2. Harold Boulware (Wikipedia).
Harold R. Boulware Sr. (March 1, 1913 - January 27, 1983) was a civil rights attorney and judge in the United States. He was chief attorney for the NAACP in South Carolina. He was involved in cases challenging segregation in school busing and the Democratic Party's whites only primaries in South Carolina. His cases included Briggs v. Elliott, Brown v. Board, and Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County.[1] He became the first African-American appointed(Submitted on May 20, 2026, by Steve Stoessel of Niskayuna, New York.)as an Associate Judge for the Columbia Municipal Court in August 1969 and served until 1974 when he became a judge in the Richland County Judicial System.Photographed by Steve Stoessel, May 9, 20262. Harold Boulware House Marker
Photographed by Steve Stoessel, May 9, 2026
3. Harold Boulware House Marker
Photographed by Steve Stoessel, May 9, 2026
4. Harold Boulware House Marker
Photographed by Steve Stoessel, May 9, 2026
5. Harold Boulware House Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on May 26, 2026. It was originally submitted on May 20, 2026, by Steve Stoessel of Niskayuna, New York. This page has been viewed 8 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on May 20, 2026, by Steve Stoessel of Niskayuna, New York.
