A press release by Ray Evans reads:
"Pleasant Grove School , in the lumber town of Alcolu, was established for African-American students in 1933 , following the purchase of the 3 acres of land by Clarendon County School District 2. It was the first public school for black students in Clarendon County. The building has been vacant since the school closing in 1953 due to the South Carolina equalization program. In 1992, nearly 40 years later , Rebecca Scott purchased the school and repurposed it as a community center for the next decade. Sadly, the building fell into despair and by 2004 was no longer used.
Pleasant Grove School Restoration committee will be working on the school building on February 21-22, 2023 from 9am to 4pm. The address is 7131 US-301, Alcolu, SC 29001. The committee is passionate about the preservation and protection of the historical, cultural and agricultural heritage. We are in communication with the African-American Settlement Historical Commission, Mt Plesant SC, as we go through the process of restoring , Pleasant Grove School. When the school close in 1953, there was five teachers and 159 students attending the school. We are excited about this project and hoping to find many of those last students who attendant Pleasant Grove School.
Many of the Pleasant Grove Restoration committee members are direct descendants of students who attended the school. Two of our board members actually attended the school as students. When the school close in 1953, they were five teachers in 159 students attending the school. We would like to get in touch with community members who have connections to the community center or school. I’ll go this together oral hysterically from Forman, students and communion members to deserve the very important piece of black history. Please contact Ray Evans at 860-917-1675 or RJ Evans34@aol.com to share your story."
In 1933, Pleasant Grove was the only African American school in Alcolu. It consisted of only four classrooms and a simple kitchen. Although small in size, the school served a large number of students from 1933 until it closed in 1953. 159 students and five teachers graced the halls.
Joe Evans graduated from Pleasant Grove School. Born and raised in Alcolu, Evans recalled the time in his life when he attended.
Evans said, "I couldn't go to school until I was four or five years old because it was too far for me to walk. Walking was the only way to get to school. No matter the weather, I walked to school every day, starting at age seven. For lunch we had apples or bean soup. There was a small track field and baseball field that we would take our lunch out to and eat. At three in the afternoon school would let out and the students would walk the four or five miles back home. Some children would walk as far as Gable to get home.
Once home, we had chores to do. We worked in the fields alongside our parents. We picked cotton, peas, tomatoes, cucumbers, or tobacco, depending on what season it was. It was hard. It was just hard, but that is the way it was. It was very difficult, but that is all we knew. We had no choice. I made a dollar or sixty cents a day for my work on the farm. It was very little pay."
Evans then described his experiences with segregation throughout twon. He said, "When I would go to town (Manning) on the weekends, we would not walk in the street. The white people would walk in the street and we would be off to the side, more in the gutter. At night when cars would pass by, not knowing who was driving and trying to keep safe, we would lay in the ditch until the car or cars passed so that we could get home safely. I liked going to the movie theaters. Back then it was two stories, and the white people were downstairs and the African Americans had to sit upstairs. There was no air conditioning or fans upstairs and it would get so hot in the summer.
There were water fountains and those were also separate. One for whites and one for African Americans. The African American fountains were painted black so anyone who could not read knew which fountain they had to use. We did not dare to go near the 'whites only' fountains.
Also, there were only two doctors at the time, and if we needed to see a doctor, it would be an all day event as the whites were to be seen first. I remember just sitting in the waiting room for hours. We also played baseball on weekends, but the teams were separate as well. We only played with the other African American children and not the white ones."
Evans went on to recall how he left town and how the school was closed upon his return. He described, "I joined the military and left town. When I retuned in 1953, the school had closed down.
Almost forty two years later, my mother Rebecca Wilson Scott decided to purchase the old school. She turned it into a community center for senior citizens, after school events, and election polls. It became dilapidated and was no longer able to be used in 2004."
Now that the building is being restored, Evans hopes to see the restoration complete in his lifetime.
"I am hoping to see it restored before I go home and meet my maker. I am 86 years old, but I'll be 87 soon. I am still fighting for my race and the people of the United States.
I am so happy that my son Raymond Evans, along with the others who have decided to take on the restoration of the school. Both of my parents attended Pleasant Grove and many more members of my family attended and graduated from Pleasant Grove. Many members of my family passed through those halls at that consequential time in our country's history. It was hard but we survived, and I hope to be here to see the restoration."
Phase one of the restoration will begin on Tuesday, Feb 21 and Wednesday, Feb 22 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 7131 U.S. 301 in Alcolu. The public is invited to attend. For more information, contact Raymond Evans at 860-917-1675. Also if anyone has any photos or literature of the school please send to rjevans34@aol.com.
