The images shown here were taken in York County between ca. 1935-1952. Each has been provided courtesy of the South Carolina Dept. of Archives and History. R&R many not reproduce these images but individual photographs may be requested via the SCDAH at: 
http://archives.sc.gov/researchrequest/Pages/default.aspx The School Insurance Photographs, ca. 1935-1952 series at the South Carolina Archives and History Center includes photographs made between ca. 1935 and 1952 of approximately 2,600 schools in South Carolina. The photographs were made by the Sinking Fund Commission, a state agency that inspected and provided insurance for public schools. The collection includes both African American and white schools for most counties in the state. Enjoy viewing these images and take a minute to provide a comment (found at the bottom of the page), on their history or location by referring to a specific school name. Data on the school, teachers, construction, etc., will be collected and used to build individual page for each school. You may also share additional photographs via the Share Link or digitize them and mail them directly to Roots and Recall, instructions are found on the Share Link. Your input is critical to the continued building of York County’s homeplace history site and much of the data users share with R&R is shared with professional institutions for research purposes. Click on this link for extensive information on Rosenwald School histories in South Carolina.
Also see Group II School Images
YORK COUNTY EXTINCT SCHOOLS (One of many projections of the Museum of Education at the University of South Carolina is the collection of information on what they term “extinct schools” across South Carolina. From their Web listing we have extracted the ones they have designated as York County and have added a few we know about that they do not have. We are certain that there are more that should be added and invite our readers to send in those they know of that are not in this list and also to make any needed corrections such as an error we found which shows they have “Flint Hall,” which should be “Flint Hill” and they listed Pleasant Valley Academy and Riverside School as being in York County when they should have been listed as Lancaster County schools. Additional information is also welcomed. Those that we have added are marked with an asterisk*. A1937 Master of Arts thesis by Eula B. Thomasson, Winthrop College, 1937, “Cultural Factors in the History of York County,” has furnished the names of a number of schools. We have marked these as (ET)
Name Place Date(s)
______________________________________________________(a =after; b = before)
Allison Creek School
Allison Creek
1885
Baptist High School
York/Yorkville
Beersheba Academy (ET)
Beersheba (near Rock Hill)
b1870
Bethel Academy
Bethel
1782-a1870
Bethesda School
Bethesda
1806-
Bethlehem Parochial School-African-American
b1913
Blairsville Academy
1800s
Blairsville School-African American
Raineytown
b1913; 1928-1950s
Blairsville School
Sharon/York
1924-1928
Brattonsville Female Seminary
Brattonsville
1830-1860
Brattonsville Male Academy
Brattonsville
1830-1840s
Bullocks Creek Academy
Bullocks Creek
1787-a1867
Catawba School (ET)
Catawba Junction
1889
Central Elementary School
Rock Hill
a1920
Chestnut Academy (ET)
near Yorkville
1878
Clinton Normal and Industrial College
Rock Hill
1894-a1915
Clover Academy
Clover
1875-a1887
Currell’s School (ET)
1860s
Ebenezer Academy
Ebenezer
1819-1888
Garrison School (ET)
upper Fort Mill township
F. A. Gilbert’s School (ET)
Fort Mill
1879
Flint Hill School
Fort Mill Township
b. 1851
Fort Mill Academy
Fort Mill
1808; *!857; *1875- a1880
Foundation Church School-African American
Franklin Institute-African American
1840-1860s
Fresh Air School of Winthrop College
Rock Hill
1911
Friendship Normal & Industrial
Rock Hill
1911
Gaines School (ET)
Yorkville
1866-1867
‘George Fish School-African-American
Fort Mill
1924-
Gold Hill Academy
Fort Mill township
1859-*1935
Ira Irwin’s School (ET)
near Bethel Church
1843-a1874
Jefferson Graded School-African-American
Yorkville
b1904
J.G. Blum’s School (ET)
Yorkville
1865
John G. Enloe’s School (ET)
Yorkville
1865
Kings Mountain Military Academy
Yorkville
1855-a1868
Lanqham Academy (ET)
Langham Branch
1858
Lathan & Harrison Male School (ET)
Yorkville
1874
Liberty Hill (ET)
Fort Mill
Magnolia B.P.L. Institute
Sharon
b1893 YCGHS—September 2003 34
“Massey School
Doby Bridge Rd, Fort Mill
1892-1929
McKeown’s School (ET)
1887
Miss Annie Rawlinson’s School (ET)
1885
Miss (Nettie H.) Dickson’s School (ET)
Yorkville
1888
Mrs. Dicey Homeys School (ET)
Yorkville bef1859
Miss Emma Roach’s School (ET)
Rock Hill
bef 1887
Miss Fannie Miller’s School (ET)
Yorkville
1880-1890s
Miss Isabel Miller’s School (ET)
Yorkville
1875
Miss Margaret A. Gist School (ET)
Yorkville
1884-1887
Miss Margart A. Grier’s School (ET)
Yorkville
1887
Miss Peck’s School (ET)
Yorkville
1888
Miss Reid’s School (ET)
Fort Mill
1876-a1879
Mrs. Alexander’s School (ET)
Yorkville
1881
Mrs. McLean’s School (ET)
Yorkville
1874
Mrs. M. H. Metts’ School (ET)
Yorkville
1880
Mrs. W. H. Hackett’s School
Yorkville
1862-1863
(South Carolina) Miller’s School
b1859
Neely’s Creek School (ET)
Neely’s Creek
1886
Olivet Male Academy
McConnellsville
b1859
Philip P. Mazych’s School
Yorkville
1866
Pine Grove Academy
Rock Hill
b1865-a1887
Presbyterian High School
Rock Hill
1894-
Presbyterian Parochial School-African-American
Rock Hill
a1913
Reynolds School (ET)
1863
Rockville Male Academy
b1856
S. C. Miller’s School
Yorkville
1859
St. Paul’s School-African-American
Rock Hill
b1915
Saniago School
York
b1903
Shurley School
Gold Hill, Fort Mill
1845-1846
Unity Academy
1823-
(The) Village School
1789
Watson’s Private Male School
Yorkville
1873
W. A. Moore’s School (ET)
Yorkville
1866
Watts’ School
Fort Mill
1854-
William Currell’s School (ET)
Yorkville
1868-
Winthrop Experimental Rural School
Rock Hill
1911-
Winthrop Training School
Rock Hill
1912-
Yorkville Brick Academy
Yorkville
1830s
Yorkville High School
Yorkville
1854-a1884
Yorkville Male Academy
Yorkville
1886
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User comments welcome — post at the bottom of this page.
I was a student at Sharon Grammer School and Sharon High School…wonderful pictures and memories.
The picture of Lesslie School is tagged as an African American with a spelling of Leslie. I attended this school the first year it was opened in the second grade. It was not an African American School. The present Lesslie School was opened as Hillcrest around 1952 as an African American school.
Thank you so very much for correcting this data. We will make the clarification. Know that the original individual giving names to the schools was from Columbia, S.C. in the period between 1935-52 and may not have been familiar with the school’s spelling which can indeed be spelled either way. Again, R&R will make the changes.
I ATTENDED BETHEL SCHOOL, YORK CO. SECOND THRU SEVENTH GRADE, WONDERFUL MEMORIES, THAT WAS 1948 AND FOLLOWING. WONDERFUL TEACHERS AND CLASSMATES. WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM ANY OF THEM
I attended Cotton Belt School from 1941 to 1948. I was wondering; When it closed as a school, what happened to and where could I find School Report Cards from this period?
My grandmother was principal of the Pine Bluff School, better known as “The Timber”. My mother, who turned 96 in 2017, and four of her sisters attended this school located in the Bethel section of Clover.
Thank you for your data. Please provide their names and any additional information – pictures!
I am trying to find out what school my father attended in Fort Mill SC or York SC he was born in 1932. His name is David W. Adams.