Abbeville County Training School
National Register Listing
Street Address:
410 Branch Street, Abbeville, SC (Abbeville County)
Alternate Name:
Abbeville County Colored Training School;Abbeville Rosenwald School;Branch Street School
NRHP Nomination
Record Number:
S10817701014
Description and Narrative:
The Abbeville County Training School is listed in the National Register for significance in the areas of Education, Ethnic Heritage: Black, and Architecture. Built in 1925 with support from the Julius Rosenwald Fund, the Abbeville County Training School was one of five Rosenwald schools constructed in Abbeville County in the 1920s. From 1925 through 1970, it served as an educational and social center for the local African American community. The building housed first through twelfth grade students and was the only accredited African American high school in the county in its later years. In 1954, the building became the Branch Street School and served grades one through eight until 1968, and one through seven until closing in 1970. The school exhibits the tenacity and perseverance of Abbeville County African American residents despite the inequities of segregation. The school is also architecturally significant as an example of Floor Plan No. 7, one of two seven-teacher school designs created for the Rosenwald program. Although some of the original windows have been bricked-in, the original fenestration is evident and still exhibits the rhythm of the original construction, and the building retains many character-defining features. The 1949 additions to the main school and the ca. 1954 brick classroom building were constructed within the property’s period of significance and contribute to its importance. The school sits on a five-acre parcel on the south side of Branch Street in the town of Abbeville, though only the upper half of the tract is historically associated with the school. Listed in the National Register May 27, 2022.
Period of Significance:
1925 – 1970
Level of Significance:
Local
Area of Significance:
Architecture;Education;Ethnic Heritage: Black
National Register Determination:
listed
Date of Certification:
May 27 2022
