Gossett Elementary School

Historic Property

Alternate Name:

Williamston Recreation Center

Street Address:

Gossett Dr., W side, at int. w/ Williams St.;(Anderson County)

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Site Number:

1386

Control Number:

U/07/1386

Date Surveyed:

May 23 2002

Category:

Building

Construction Date:

1923

Alteration Date:

circa 1955

Historic Use:

Education

Current Use:

Other

Historic Core Shape:

Rectangular

Number of Stories:

1

Construction Method:

masonry

Exterior Walls Materials:

Brick

Foundation Materials:

Not Visible

Roof Shape:

hip

Roof Materials:

raised seam metal

National Register Determination:

eligible

Signficant Architectural Features:

The building has a recessed entry on the main façade with an arched, stone door surround. A parapet over the doorway has a stone name plate and stone cap. There are four interior chimneys, and brackets under the eaves. Stone lintels connect the double, eight over eight windows with multi-pane transoms.

Alterations:

Some windows are covered with boards.

Historical Information:

The Gossett School began as a two-room first grade on the grounds of the Gossett Baptist Church for Williamston Mill children. The mill built the Gossett Elementary School in 1923, when it offered classes for mill children from the first through the fourth grades. Gossett served all white Williamston children in the first and second grades from the mid-1940s until 1952 when the towns of Williamston and Pelzer were consolidated into one school district. In 1955, the building became the Williamston Recreation Center and a swimming pool was constructed in the front grounds (now filled). The building is currently used by the city as a storage facility.

Source of Historical Information:

Gene Welborn, "A Town Springs Forth: The Story of Williamston, South Carolina." Bountiful, UT: Family History Publishers, 2000, pp. 94-95; C. Preston Cooley and Jonathan Fowler, Williamston Area Historical Commission, interview, 1 February 2002.

Quadrangle Name:

Pelzer

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