St. George Rosenwald School Resurrected with help from former students

ST. GEORGE, S.C. (WCSC) - After years of neglect, community leaders and former students of a nearly-forgotten Dorchester County Rosenwald School worked together to restore the historic building to its former glory.

Ralph James and Edith Oldham are extremely proud to speak of their alma mater in upper Dorchester County. It was originally known as the St. George Colored School, and it was the first school that they ever knew. 

The schoolhouse was built in 1925. At the time it was known as a Rosenwald School, one of several thousand built for Negro students across the South during the age of segregation.

Booker T. Washington, the founder and president of the Tuskegee Institute, teamed up with Julius Rosenwald, a wealthy Jewish philanthropist of his day, to build thousands of quality schoolhouses for Black children throughout the South. Rosenwald had the deep pockets but he didn’t pay for it all.

James recounted how the school came to be with a lot of support from the local community.

“The people in the community, they donated $2,000. Rosenwald donated $1,500 to each school, but the bulk of those funds really came from fish fries and bake sales,”  James says.

The school stood proudly for about 40 years until newer, more modern schools were built during the integration era.

Over time, the Rosenwald School fell into disrepair. Trees and overgrowth hid it from the roadway. 

After years of neglect, former students and community leaders worked together to restore the school. Millions of dollars and 10 years later, the school is back and is now a sought-after venue for civic meetings and social events. There are even plans for a children’s museum.

Oldham calls the renovation a gift to the next generation.

“We need the youth to be interested in getting involved. Because this is their history,” Oldham says.

James says the Dorchester County schoolhouse is one of the largest Rosenwald Schools that’s preserved originally in the southeast.

“We’re very happy and proud of that fact that here in the rural area of St. George, you’re able to present a jewel to the state of South Carolina and hopefully, nationally,” James says.

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