Tillman School
National Register Listing
Street Address:
191 Cotton Hill Rd./US Highway 321, Tillman, SC (Jasper County)
NRHP Nomination
Record Number:
S10817727011
Description and Narrative:
Tillman School is a one-story Craftsman style grade school located on Highway 321 (also Cotton Hill Road) just north of the intersection of Tillman Road. Constructed from 1926 to 1927, the school building was designed to be a permanent structure to consolidate smaller rural schoolhouses in the surrounding area. The T-shaped brick building maintains a balanced symmetry on the exterior and interior giving the building a formalized appearance. The brick gabled, wide overhanging eaves, decorative rafter tails, knee brace bracketing, and multi-light grouped windows define the Craftsman style aesthetic. Interior details including the floor plan, classroom layout, chalkboards, potbelly stoves, flooring, doors, windows, light fixtures, auditorium seating, and stage area, characterize the 1920s era school building. Tillman School, is significant at the local level under Criterion A in the area of education. The school building is a physical testament to the history and development of education patterns in Jasper County, South Carolina during the 1920s. During the first half of the 20th century, school buildings in Jasper County transformed from small rural frame structures into consolidated regional schools divided into districts. Tillman School survives as an artifact of these early consolidation efforts. The period of significance extends from the initial construction in 1926 through 1963, when the public elementary school closed. The building is also significant at the local level under Criterion C in the area of architecture as a well-preserved example of a one-story Craftsman style elementary school designed by Charleston architect John D. Newcomer. In June 1926, Newcomer was awarded the contract to design the new schools for Jasper County, these included Tillman School and the larger Ridgeland School. Both embodied many of the same architectural elements including materials, building form, roof shape, plan, and style. Craftsman elements are evident in exposed rafter tails but Tillman School also features round multiple arches, keystones, and low relief decorative brickwork in the gable faces more common to the Tudor style also popular at this time. Listed in the National Register June 21, 2016.
Period of Significance:
1926 – 1963
Level of Significance:
Local
Area of Significance:
Architecture;Education
National Register Determination:
listed
Date of Certification:
June 21 2016
