The History Of Schools in
Spartanburg, S.C. School District 3
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If you think
these are just houses, think again. These were all schools at one time.
Before
1950, each school for white children was considered a district.
On May 6, 1950, the numerous small districts of Spartanburg
County were consolidated into twelve districts by an act of the South Carolina
Legislature. This consolidation resulted in Districts Eight and Nine.
District Eight was comprised of the
following schools: Mt. Oliveview, No. 35; Clifton, No. 38; Cowpens, No.
50; Lenoir, No. 53, Gold Mine,
No. 90, and Cannons, No. 99.
District Nine schools were:
Whitestone, No. 35; Glendale, No. 39; Pacolet Mills, No. 40; and Pacolet, No.
47.
There was
further consolidation on March 22, 1952, when the legislature merged the twelve
districts into seven. Districts Eight and Nine were merged to form what is
today Spartanburg District Three.
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Click on the
school name to read the history of each.
Schools have changed in many ways over the years. The following copy of a “Teacher’s Report”
written in 1916 illustrates how different that school was from ours today.
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Record from Clifton No. 2 School, District 38 Lalla Bess Goforth Settlemeyer was paid $35.00 for teaching
during the period of April 3, 1916, to April 28, 1916, a total of 20 days. Total enrollment was 62 students: 29 boys and 33 girls. On average, however, only about 28
students attended each day. Also, according to local historian David Moore, in the early
years of the communities children only attended school until the age of about
10. Then they left school to work and
help support their families. Also, he
said, in the early years, school was only conducted during the months of
October through February, when the children weren’t needed in the fields. |
Credits
Photographs taken by Katie B. with the help of her grandmother.
David Moore, Personal Interview, February 28, 2001
”Teacher’s Report” from archives at Clifdale Elementary School