Marysville School
National Register Listing
Street Address:
Sunny acres Rd., Pacolet, SC (Spartanburg County)
NRHP Nomination
Record Number:
S10817742058
Description and Narrative:
The Marysville School is significant for its association with the history of segregated society in upstate South Carolina. The school was built by the Pacolet Manufacturing Company in 1915 to educate the children of the black families that worked in the mills in Pacolet, and served in that function until it was closed in 1954. The Marysville community was built by the Pacolet Manufacturing Co. in order to keep the colored workers and their families separate from the white workers. Originally called Gilliam Town, the name of this village was changed to Marysville, after Mary Brown Knuckles, the lady that would bring Marysville School to the residents of that community. The school is a one and a half story, three room school building in a “L” shape, but this is due to the addition of a third room some time between 1935 and 1950 to accommodate the growing population of students. There are a total of three entrances to the building on the front façade, one on the original portion and two on the addition. There are also three other entrances located on the lower level of the rear portion of the school. The main level of the interior contains three classrooms separated by a small hallway. The two original classrooms are separated by folding doors, which are still in place. All of these rooms still contain their original slate boards, as well as their original floors and walls. Marysville School would become obsolete by 1954 due to the decision of the Supreme Court in the landmark Brown vs. Board of Education, which decided that segregating schools was illegal under the constitution. Listed in the National Register January 9, 2007.
Period of Significance:
1915;circa 1950
Level of Significance:
Local
Area of Significance:
Education;Ethnic Heritage: Black
National Register Determination:
listed
Date of Certification:
January 9 2007
