Clockwise: Lemira School on Brewington Road, Brunson School, Rural school Walle's Bon and Goodwill School. Rural Schools Photo Gallery

By SAMMY WAY
Item Researcher / Archivist
sway@theitem.com

The education of children living in the rural regions of our county during the early 1800s was primarily the responsibility of the parents. The level or degree of instruction children received often depended on the amount of resources and ambition possessed by their family. The ministers and pastors of the local churches often became the first schoolmasters.

During the early period of settlement in the Sumter community the Rev. Charles Woodmason of St. Mark's Episcopal, Dr. Thomas Reese of Salem Black River Presbyterian and Wood Furman in the High Hills had established some form of educational facility. The buildings were often log cabins constructed on abandoned land, called "old field schools." Log meeting houses were frequently made into classrooms, and periodically classes were held in the church sanctuaries. These schools were founded primarily for the purpose of preparing young men for entry into the ministry.

Most of the children in the district were required to assist in planting and harvesting, leaving little time for educational pursuits. Children who were orphaned comprised the most overlooked segment of the population and were seldom provided any educational opportunities.

Top Left: Rural Students   Top Right: Singleton School Students   Bottom: Graham School Students

These children received help when The Clarendon Orphan Society received a charter in 1798 which established a public school using money the state obtained from the sale of property due to the failure of a legal heir being named in the estate.

The state of South Carolina assumed responsibility for poor and uneducated children in 1811 when it endorsed a free-school law that would provide for their elementary education. John B. Miller, Sumter's first lawyer and friend of public education, sat on the first Board of (seven) Free School Commissioners for the Claremont election district. By the year 1857 there were 52 free schools housing 589 students with each school having only one teacher. Eight of these schools were located in the city with other 44 positioned throughout the county.

The free schools received very little support from the general public, as many citizens were embarrassed to admit their inability to pay for private instruction. Thus private schools and academies remained the foundation of the educational system during the antebellum era.

Many of the larger, remote plantations utilized a tutor or governess to provide instruction for their children both male and female. Schools that prepared students for college were often called high schools and girls' finishing schools were known as seminaries; however, the most common name for schools was academy. Some of the more well-known academies of this era were The Sandville Academy in Stateburg, Lodebar Academy near Oswego, Mt. Clio Academy and Salem Black River Academy near the Black River, Bishopville Academy, and the Rembert Academy.

Students riding to school in wagon from Dubose Siding

During the 1850s a number of local schools placed advertisements in Sumter newspapers soliciting students. These included William T. Capers' school at Providence, W.H. and George E. Coit High School at Mayesville, Swimming Pens and the Plowden Mills schools. Located in Clarendon County were St. Paul's Academy, Friendship Academy and Summerton Academy. Sumterville, Bradford Springs and Stateburg were areas where numerous schools sought to build their facilities. The High Hills, known for its healthy environment, was the home of Claremont Academy and the highly respected Furman Academy. Other centers of learning located in the Stateburg area were Woodville and Edgehill Academies. Another school to open in 1821 near Stateburg was Thornton Academy, which set a precedent by allowing both boys and girls to attend class.

What was probably Sumter's first public school opened on East Hampton Avenue with R. P. McQueen serving as principal. There are documents that support the founding of another public school located on East Hampton Avenue as early as 1888. In 1889 the Andrew Jackson Moses home was leased to the city for the purpose of educating its white students, with some 300 students seeking enrollment.

The 44 rural schools, unlike the newly formed city public schools, were confronted with problems associated with enrollment, facilities and staff. The schools were traditionally small, often consisting of a single room, recitation benches, homemade desks and a pot-bellied stove, which was started during the winter by the teacher. The majority of the students walked or rode in buggies to school regardless of the weather or terrain. To reduce expenses teachers would often board with local families and received compensation ranging from $40 to $50 per month. The late historian Cassie Nicholes noted that "The pursuit of knowledge was not easy in the old days, but the desire to learn on the part of many was so great that no sacrifice was too extreme and no inconvenience was too discouraging to deter them in obtaining whatever education was available."

Students taking photos at Lemira School

It is unfortunate that very few records remain concerning the histories of these facilities. We know that many of the rural schools resembled barns and the building site was often on land donated by concerned citizens or by members of the students' families. Schools built for the African-American children tended to be smaller, held shorter sessions and frequently had large enrollments. However there were two African-American schools of note constructed: Ebenezer built by the Northern Presbyterian Church near Dalzell and the Goodwill School constructed near Salem Black River Presbyterian Church. The Mayesville Institute was later built in 1882 and run by the renowned black educator, Emma Wilson.

During the early 1900s Booker T. Washington and his Tuskegee Institute staff conceived the idea that would lead to the improvement of black rural schools in the South. A partnership was arranged between Tuskegee and the philanthropist Julius Rosenwald, the president of the Sears, Roebuck and Company. Rosenwald offered a matching grant to any rural community interested in building a black school. By the early 1930s thousands of old rundown school houses were replaced with new larger buildings; in all more than 5,300 Rosenwald schools were built in 15 southern states. The intent of the Rosenwald system was to increase the number of teachers and lengthen the school year for African-American children.

During the 1930s the number of African-American children attending school increased to 2.4 million. By 1928 one of every five African-American schools constructed in the South was a Rosenwald school. When the program ended in 1932 a total of 4,977 schools and 217 homes for teachers had been constructed. There were 481 schools and a total of 500 structures built in South Carolina alone. Nearly 75,000 African-American students were given an opportunity for an education in South Carolina as a result of the Rosenwald schools. The teachers in rural schools devoted a majority of their efforts to improving the spelling skills of their students, as this was considered crucial in learning how to read. Punishment was often administered to ensure discipline; happily, there is no evidence of extreme cruelty appearing in the recollections of former students.

"In educating the young we use pleasure and pain as rudders to steer their course."
Aristotle