Poplar Grove Elementary School was one of 17 African American schools built between 1918-1930 in Union County. It opened in 1927 and closed in the 1960s. On Sunday, June 9 at 1:00 p.m., a historical marker will be unveiled at the site of Poplar Grove Elementary School, which is now a private residence. A program and ceremony will take place. SC Humanities supported this project with a Mini Grant.
Poplar Grove Elementary School was originally a four-room school house. An additional room was added in 1941. That added room still stands as a private residence and is the last portion of any of the 17 African American schools in Union County that is still intact. Poplar Grove Elementary School is noted for possessing several features of a Rosenwald School, though it has not been proven that it received support from the Julius Rosenwald fund. Poplar Grove produced the largest number of college graduates (10) of any African American school in Union County.
The program on Sunday, June 9 will include a welcome, a history of Poplar Grove Elementary School given by Dr. Tom Crosby, several poetry readings, remarks by Mr. Leon Wilson and Mr. Frank Hart (County Supervisor), as well as the unveiling of the marker.
The site of the former Poplar Grove Elementary School is located at 109 Tinker Creek Road, Union, SC. For more information about the event, contact the Union County Historical Society at (864) 429-5081.
The mission of SC Humanities is to enrich the cultural and intellectual lives of all South Carolinians. Established in 1973, this 501(c) 3 organization is governed by a volunteer 20-member Board of Directors comprised of community leaders from throughout the state. It presents and/or supports literary initiatives, lectures, exhibits, festivals, publications, oral history projects, videos and other humanities-based experiences that directly or indirectly reach more than 250,000 citizens annually.
