COWPENS
In
1781, during the Revolutionary War, General Daniel Morgan told his troops to
meet him at the cow pens. This was a
place where cows were kept—and this is how Cowpens got its name.
In 1880,
a one-room wood building was built and used as a school until 1890. This school had one teacher.
In
1890, a brick building was built and used until the 1950s. This building was outgrown as a school for
all grades, so a new high school was built in 1920.
In
1954, a new high school was built on Linder Ford Road. It was being used as an elementary school
until 1979 when a new one was built.
This building has since been torn down.
In
1976, Broome High School was built and is still in use.
Black
Schools in Cowpens
- In 1900, Mount
Calvary Baptist Church housed the school.
- In the early 1900s,
a one-room schoolhouse was built on the church grounds.
- In the 1920s, a
four-room school called Julius Rosenwald was built for grades 1-7.
- In 1930, a new high
school was built.
- In 1953, the Ralph
Bunche School for grades 1 – 6 was built.
Grades 7 – 12 were sent to Benjamin Mays in Pacolet.
- In the mid 1950s, a
new Mays was built for the black students. This is now the present Middle School of Pacolet.
- In the late 1960s,
Ralph Bunche School became Cowpens Elementary School. It closed when the new Cowpens
Elementary School was built for grades K – 6.
(Present)
Cowpens Middle School