The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation's historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America's historic and archeological resources.
Photograph by Staci Richey, courtesy of South Carolina State Historic Preservation Office
South Carolina, Reference number: 100010365
Areas of Significance: Ethnic Heritage: Black, Education, Entertainment/Recreation, Agriculture, and Architecture
Period of Significance: c.1907-1953
The Ocean Grove School is locally significant under Criterion A: Ethnic Heritage: Black due to its importance to the African American residents in the area. It served as a primary place of education for Black children and thus meets Criterion A: Education. It was nominated under Criterion A: Agriculture and Entertainment/Recreation because the school was also the location of the Black Community Fair hosted by local farmers almost every year from 1936 to at least 1943. The fair served as both a promotional and educational event for local farmers and offered organized recreational opportunities for local African Americans. It is also locally significant under Criterion C: Architecture because it is a locally rare intact example of an early 1900s rural school that reflects broad trends in educational architecture of the period, aimed at improving and standardizing school design. The period of significance begins with the c. 1907 construction of the school and extends to 1953, which is the last known year of its operation as a Black School.
The nomination does a good job fully supporting each area of significance.
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Last updated: July 12, 2024