Orangeburg County Training School

Front: In 1924, Elloree School District bought 4 acres at this site from Black farmer Robert L. Williams to build Orangeburg County Training School. Rooted in an older school opened by Shiloh A.M.E. Church, the 6-room wooden Training School was built with support from the Julius Rosenwald Fund, which in 1926-27 also funded a vocational building. Courses emphasized agricultural and domestic instruction as well as teacher training. Reverse: The school had around 400 elementary and high school students by 1930. It was destroyed by likely arsons in 1932 and rebuilt. In 1954 the campus closed and was replaced through the state equalization program. The school was long an important institution for Elloree’s Black community, hosting performances, picnics, and other public events. Still standing is a c.1932 teacherage which became a community center in 1973.