Mother's Day fish fry fundraiser, worship service starting May 8 will help support Pleasant Grove School restoration

ALCOLU - Pleasant Grove Restoration Project Committee invites the public to Mother's Day weekend activities to support its restoration of Pleasant Grove School. The school in Alcolu was established in 1933 as Clarendon's first public school for African-American students.

The activities will start Friday, May 8, at 7 p.m. with a worship service at Oak Grove Presbyterian Church, 7131 US-301, Alcolu.

On Saturday, May 9, from noon to 4 p.m., there will be the fourth-annual fish fry at Pleasant Grove School, 1012 Joe Marie Road, Alcolu. The public can support the school's restoration through buying food, T-shirts or hoodies. Special representatives from American Heart Association will be available to answer questions and share helpful information.

The school closed in 1953 because of the South Carolina equalization program. Since February 2023, the committee, whose members are descendants of students who attended the school, and other volunteers have been restoring the building so that it can be used by the community.

The building was bought by Rebecca Wilson Scott in 1992 and turned into a community center that closed in 2004. The school was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in October 2023. Now, Raymond Evans, chairman of the Restoration Board and the grandson of Scott, and other members of the group and volunteers across the area are working to restore it to be used again by the community.

For more information, visit Hpgschool.org or email hpgschool12@gmail.com.