If you’ve lived in Greenville for a while, you’ve probably been to this statue on the corner of Main + Washington streets downtown.
You’ve probably passed her on your way to eat in the city center or on your morning walk with your dog, but if you don’t know the story of this statue, keep reading. Today we’re going to tell you all about Sterling High School, the first black high school in Greenville.
In the 1890s, Reverend Daniel Melton Minus became your goal provide local black children with a secondary school. He led a educational committee, secured funding and state authorizations, and in 1896, opened Greenville Academy in a room at Silver Hill Church, where he was the pastor. Enrollment grew rapidly, so a bigger space was needed. After using the church for several years, Minus called some of Greenville’s wealthiest white businessmen for financial + organizational support. Thomas Parker, a white aristocrat from Charleston, gave a donation of $ 2,500 to build the school.
The school operated successfully for several years, but closed for a period of time before becoming Enoree High School until 1929. Greenville County then bought the building and renamed it Sterling High School. Sterling was successful for many years as a paradise for cultivating + nourishing the minds of young black students.
In 1967, the school burned is on November 19, 2006, hundreds attended the dedication of the bronze statue at the corner of Main + Washington streets to celebrate the school’s legacy. The statue is of two black students walking proudly down the school stairs. The boy has an “S” on his sweater, while the girl carries her school books.
The statue was made by sculptor Mariah Kirby-Smith. The schools older teacher alive at the time it was Wildred Walker is on 94 years he placed a symbolic brick on the wall.
O statue location was chosen because of its proximity to Woolworth’s Lunch Counter. In the 1960s, Sterling-ites would meet at the Woolworth’s cafeteria for peaceful demonstrations, mirroring the sit-ins happening across the south during the civil right movement, helping to lead the integration process in Greenville.
Although the school cannot resist, Many prominent figures were taught at Sterling High School.
Five former students at Sterling High School.
Jesse Jackson: Perhaps Sterling’s most famous graduate, Reverend Jesse Jackson was a Sterling-ite and from school star quarterback, which earned him a football scholarship to the University of Illinois. He became a civil rights activist + left school to join Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. in Alabama, where Jackson led several civil + economic rights movements and organizations.
Ruth Ann Butler: In 1985, Butler visited the African American museum in Tennessee + was inspired to start preserving black history in Greenville. Later, she abandoned her teaching career to open the Greenville Cultural Exchange Center.
Joseph Allen Vaughn: Vaughn was the president of Sterling + student body Furman University Like the first black graduation post-breakdown in 1965. He organized many civil rights marches in downtown Greenville.
Ralph Anderson: Anderson worked at United States Postal Service for 31 years, serving as the postmaster on Clemson + Greer for a while. He did not run for Greenville City Council up to 55 years, but later played the role of 1983-1991 and, later, in the State House of Representatives for six years and the State Senate for 17 years.
Lillian Brock Flemming: Flemming graduated from Sterling High School with honors before joining Furman University. In 2017, she retired from Greenville County Schools After 46 Years of Service. She is a lifelong member of South Carolina Girl Scouts + the Greenville branch of NAACP and served on Greenville City Council since 1981.