After our excursion last week, Mark Elbrecht sent me an excellent resource with information about some of the sites we visited. The State Historic Preservation Office has released a new archeology survey of Greenville County (PDF).
The study actually makes for fascinating reading. I enjoyed reading the methodology used. Brockington Cultural Resources Consultants did the study, and they began by meeting with the public to identify locations of historical significance around the county. These were added to sites already on the SC ArchSite website. Target sites were then identified and studied for possible inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places.
While I found the historical data for the locations interesting, most useful were the tables of locations. First there was the list of targets already in the ArchSite database:
This list shows Highland School as “potentially eligible.” So, at the time of it’s inclusion on ArchSite, it must have been an existing school in its original location. The address is the same as Highland Church, so we must have been right there at it.
The appendices included tables for ALL of the sites identified. Again, this was great because it identified old schools of which I was previously unaware. In order for it to be on the list, it must still be there. I had a whole new source of targets for my own explorations.
Laura was in Chicago for a meeting, and it was a lovely Sunday afternoon. What better way to spend it than to check out a few of these new targets in her shiny red convertible?
I started by roughly retracing our steps from last Wednesday. I made a couple of detours first, though. I wanted to check out Locust Hill School. I had last driven past it a couple of years ago, and I remembered parts of it as having been modernized. I couldn’t really remember what it looked like.
I found that architecturally it was very similar to the Gowansville School. There was the same style of brick building with a bell tower. However, the windows had all been replaced with modern windows. The building was still undergoing renovations, and signs of construction were everywhere. I’d like to know the eventual fate of the school, but I am pleased to see that the building is still in use.
The report made mention of a school on Campbell Mill Road. I drove past the address listed, but couldn’t find anything that looked like an old school building. So far the school score was 1 hit and 1 miss. There was a yard sale going on right at the address I had listed, and I should have pulled in and asked about it, but I kept going.
One of my former students who now lives in Tigerville saw my photos from last Wednesday. She pointed out that I was right at another old school and didn’t even see it. The first Tigerville School that we had spotted was replaced by a brick structure right next door. When the current Tigerville School was build, this one was turned into North Greenville’s Theater Arts building. I don’t know how I could have missed it.
I decided to give Highland School another visit since it was listed so prominently in the report. What I failed to take into account was that this was a Sunday, and the grounds were crawling with people attending church. I didn’t feel comfortable roaming the grounds during their Sunday School. I never spotted the school building. The score was now 2-2.
Next on my list was Holly Springs School. I knew that the current Holly Springs/Motlow School was in Spartanburg One, so it wouldn’t be included on a report for Greenville County. Nonetheless, I headed toward the Holly Springs community, with a few detours along the way. I stopped at Little Chicago to take a photo of their sign and the old store there.
I found the current Holly Springs/Motlow School right where I remembered it. I even found where Holly Springs Road continues on into Greenville County. What I didn’t find, though, was an old school. So far things were not looking good, with a score of 2 hits and 3 misses.
I made my way back through the country toward Greer. I had one more school site to check out. On the map and on the report this was listed as Lincoln School, a school I’d never heard of. It’s most recent incarnation was as the Foothills Career Center.
The address in the report led me to the back entrance of the school. The road came to a dead end at a locked chain link fence. Trash and illegal dumping was rampant.
This was about the best photo I could get, short of trespassing. You can barely make out a building behind the tall tree in the center.
Turns out that Mark had visited previously, but had approached from the front. Here are his photos.
I figured this had to be an Equalization School, and, sure enough, it is on that list.
My final score broke even at 3 hits and 3 misses. By this time I was getting sun burnt and was ready to head home. There are other schools on that list, as well as other interesting structures that I want to check out.
UPDATE: Mark did a similar follow-up to some of these locations. His write-up is here.