St. James Rosenwald School

Front: This was one of twenty African American schools built in York County in the early 20th c. with support from the Julius Rosenwald Foundation, which helped fund nearly 5,000 new schools for Black pupils across the South, including approx. 500 in S.C. This school was built in 1929-30 at a cost of $3,000 and sits on a 4-acre lot. It follows a two-teacher design plan commonly used for smaller Rosenwald schools. Reverse: St. James School’s first principal at this location was James W. Goudlock. It served local families until 1957 and was one of many local schools to close in the 1950s as part of the consolidation of York Co. school systems. Three teachers instructed seventy pupils during the school’s final year. This building later housed St. Paul’s Baptist Church. It is one of the only Rosenwald schools still standing in York Co.