From the Preservation Society of Charleston…..NOW AVAILABLE ON THE CHARLESTON JUSTICE JOURNEY: KEITH SCHOOL
Founded in 1926 by Edward Keith, a farmer, carpenter, and member of the Jack Primus Settlement Community in Cainhoy, the one-room Keith School was constructed with donated materials to provide education to African American children in the community. Under discriminatory Jim Crow-era legislation, the state provided minimal funding for Black schools, forcing the communities they served to independently raise funds to build and sustain educational spaces. The Keith School closed in 1956 when Berkeley County School District opened Cainhoy Elementary and High School, a so-called “equalization school,” built as the state resisted desegregation. Now, the Keith School Museum honors the legacy of the visionary citizens who came together to provide an educational space for their community.
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| Painting of the original Keith School by local artist John W. Jones. Courtesy of John W. Jones |
Learn more about the Keith School and explore other Charleston Justice Journey sites. https://www.preservationsociety.org/…/keith-school…/…
For more on previous DIHS coverage of the Keith School Museum