Dennis High School

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Description 

Dennis High School, constructed in 1936, is significant for its importance in the education of African-Americans in Bishopville and Lee County and for its representation of the inequalities of South Carolina’s “separate but equal” educational system. In addition, the renovation of Dennis High School in 1954 is an excellent example of the state’s efforts to change these perceptions during the “Brown vs. Board of Education” era. In 1936, two new schools were constructed in Bishopville. Bishopville High School was built for the white students at a cost of about $71,000 and was designed by noted architect Henry Dudley Harrall. Dennis High School was constructed by Edgeworth and McBride Contractors of Cheraw for Bishopville’s black students. It was built at a cost of $17,500 on land donated by local philanthropist Rebecca Dennis. The similarities between the design of the two schools suggest that Harrall had some hand in the design of Dennis High School also. The original Classical Revival style school building is an L-shaped, one-story, load-bearing red brick structure that rests on a masonry foundation. Recessed symmetrical wings flank the main block. A third wing, which gave the building its original L-shape, houses the auditorium. In 1954, a single classroom addition was built on the northern end of the rear elevation. Listed in the National Register January 26, 2005. - SCDAH

Tags 

20th Century (29,076) African--American Primary and Secondary School Buildings MPS (3) African-American heritage (1,531) Bishopville, South Carolina (14) Brick (42,462) Built 1936 (654) Built during 1930s (5,359) Classical Revival (4,567)

E.C.B. Construction Company (1) Edgeworth and McBride (1) Have Street View (46,447) Late 19th and 20th Century Revival (16,279) Lee County, South Carolina (26) Private owner (54,398) School (5,176) South Carolina (2,160)

Update Log 

• September 22, 2014: Updated by Michael Miller: Added "Description" & "Street View" and Imported Photo
• September 22, 2014: Photo imported by Michael Miller

Sources 

• Michael Miller - michael_a_miller [at] yahoo [dot] com
• South Carolina Department of Archives and History
• National Register database - Reference number 04001565 (Search for documents)

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