04/05/2026
The community of Berea in Greenville County, South Carolina, lies at the foot of Paris Mountain about six miles northwest of the city of Greenville. What began as a rural settlement in the eighteenth century gradually grew into a vibrant working-class community whose identity became closely tied to its schools—especially Berea High School.
The first people to settle in this area came primarily through the Blue Ridge Mountains from Pennsylvania and other northern states in the early eighteenth century. They were of Scotch-Irish and German descent and were, for the most part, poor and had limited formal education.
"The Scotch-Irish fleeing from high taxes, high land costs and bias of Pennsylvania, New York and New England, filed into the Piedmont region for cheaper farms. These pioneers have been described as bold, devout, shrewd men, hating Indians and Easterners with impartial vigor and determined to Keep the Sabbath.
Where they chose to build their homes and plant their crops was part of the Cherokee Indian territory. The Cherokees were usually friendly, although at times they were hostile. The settlers of the Piedmont region had limited opportunities for formal education, unlike their counterpart in the low country where books, plans for schools, museums and art works came from England. The sons of wealthy settlers in the low country often went abroad to study; however, this opportunity was rare in the Piedmont region. Due to poor roads and other conditions, there was very little exchange of ideas and communications between the up and low country settlers.
The earliest settlers in the Berea area arrived during the 1700’s seeking inexpensive farmland and new opportunities on the South Carolina Piedmont frontier. As the settlers moved into the area they settled along the rich bottom land of the Saluda River.
Life in the region was difficult. Families carved farms out of dense forests and lived with limited access to formal education. Schools in the Upcountry were rare compared to those in South Carolina’s coastal Lowcountry. Education often took place in small community buildings or church-supported academies where students learned basic reading, writing, arithmetic, and geography.
The community’s name traces back to the Biblical city of Berea (Beroea), noted in Acts 17:10‑11 for its people’s receptiveness to Paul’s teachings. The name was likely adopted by early settlers through the influence of the local church, which pre‑dated the first school and served as a cultural center for the area.
Education in the Berea community began in modest circumstances. In the late nineteenth century a small two-room schoolhouse served the children of local farming families. Students often walked miles to class, carried water from nearby wells, and helped keep the building heated by bringing wood for the stove. 
Five years lapsed between the Constitution of 1868 and the time land was acquired for the building of a free school house for children of the Berea community. The building was a log structure containing one classroom. The faculty consisted of one teacher. This was named the Hodges school.
The earliest formal education in the Berea area was provided by small rural schools. The Hodges School (established in 1873) was one such early school, serving up to seventh or eighth grade. Students learned basic reading, writing, and arithmetic, often helping with chores like gathering wood and carrying water.
In 1884 the school was moved as recorded in the Greenville County Court House. The land where the new school stood was on the current Gibson Drive and the school was known as the Saluda School. It was later moved to the intersection of Circle Drive and Hunt's Bridge Road and was still known as the Saluda School; however, many older people of the community called this school the "Davis" school because James Davis lived in the area and was Superintendent of Greenville County Schools and the land on which the school was built was part of the Davis Estate.
The Saluda, or Davis School, was a one-room one-teacher building with one large stove for heat and long slab benches for seats. The school encompassed up to the seventh or eighth grade and the school day was from 8 A.M. to 4 P.M. Classes were held during the summer when the students were not helping with the crops and did not start in the fall until after Thanksgiving. Students were taught reading, geography, spelling, and arithmetic. A book known as the Blue Back Speller was heavily used during this time.
Families had to give their share of the wood for the stove and many arguments developed because some did not always share this responsibility. Students had to carry water to the school from a private well of a nearby neighbor. The school was used on Sundays as a place for Sunday School.
Because people in the community had little formal education and spent most of their time on the farm, they had very little interest in school affairs. Most of the people did not have a job other than farming and some of the students went to school until they were seventeen or eighteen even though the school went only to the seventh or eighth grade.
The first Berea School consisted of two rooms and it was located on property left of the current College Park Church of God on White Horse Road. Students sat two to a desk and the boys were responsible for chopping and bringing in the wood for the stove (later this gave way to coal), and the girls had to sweep. Transportation for the students was primarily by foot.
By 1885, the school was officially known as the Berea School. In 1900, records show a single teacher instructing about sixty-eight students during a school term that lasted twenty-four weeks. Despite limited funding and resources, the community strongly supported the school and viewed education as essential for future generations.
The push for secondary education came in the early twentieth century as the community grew. After the South Carolina High School Act of 1907, Berea worked to meet the requirements for high school status.
In 1911, the school qualified as a rural high school and began offering secondary classes. The curriculum included subjects such as English, Latin, mathematics, science, and United States history.
By 1927, Berea awarded its first officieal state high school diplomas, marking a major milestone for the com munity and solidifying its role as an educational center for the surrounding rural areas.
Throughout the early and mid-twentieth century, the school served as far more than a place for instruction. It functioned as the cultural and social center of the Berea community.
Community fairs, athletic contests, school plays, debates, and agricultural programs brought residents together. The school grounds often hosted gatherings and events, making the campus a focal point of community life. 
As the community grew, it was necessary to purchase approximately three acres of land and rebuild the school so in 1939 under the Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.), a new school building was constructed, reflecting significant investment in local education with classrooms and a lunchroom in the basement. Then a potato house and an agriculture building with a cannery were added for the high school students.
Athletics also played a significant role in shaping school spirit. Basketball became especially popular, and by 1940 Berea’s team had won a county championship and competed for the state title.
After World War II, the Berea area began to transform. What had been a largely agricultural community gradually shifted toward a suburban working-class neighborhood as residents found employment in the growing city of Greenville.
In 1961, Berea High School students were moved to a new location. The little red brick school continued to house first though sixth grade students.
Housing expansion and population growth increased school enrollment dramatically. By the early 1960s the existing facilities were overcrowded, prompting the construction of a new campus. 
A modern high school opened in 1962, designed to serve hundreds of students in grades seven through twelve. This era marked the beginning of Berea High School as a major educational institution in Greenville County.
The latter half of the twentieth century brought major social and educational changes. School integration in the early 1970s reshaped the student body, and additional classrooms, athletic facilities, and academic programs were added as enrollment continued to grow. 
By the late 1980s and 1990s, the school expanded with new technology, media centers, and academic resources that reflected the changing nature of education in the digital age.
Today Berea High School stands as a symbol of the community’s resilience and tradition. Generations of students from the Berea area have passed through halls of several different school nil me no—children of mill workers, tradesmen, farmers, and professionals alike.
Over time, Berea has evolved from a small rural settlement to a suburban community, with its schools and institutions playing a central role in its identity and cohesion.
For many residents, the story of Berea High is inseparable from the story of the community itself. From a humble one-room schoolhouse to a modern high school serving a diverse population, it reflects the evolution of the Upstate of South Carolina and the enduring value placed on education, community pride, and opportunity.
Berea was the kind of place where neighbors knew each other’s names, where the scent of Pine Tree mingles with the distant hum of the city, and where history feels alive in every corner.
Berea High School and its surrounding community offer a rich story of how a school can shape a neighborhood, create enduring memories, and foster civic pride. It stands as a testament to the enduring impact of education and community connection in Greenville’s history.
Berea, SC itself is a residential community and does not have official National Historic Landmarks listed on the National Register of Historic Places specifically under Berea, South Carolina. Berea itself doesn’t have widely documented “famous” alumni at the national level in the same way bigger cities do.
In the heart of the Berea community of Greenville, South Carolina, the old WPA school building once stood as a quiet sentinel of history for more than eight decades. Constructed in 1939 through the efforts of the Works Progress Administration, it was more than just bricks and mortar for those who lived here —it was a testament to a time when communities across America came together to provide opportunity, education, and hope during the throes of the Great Depression.
Generations of Berea children walked its hallways, their footsteps echoing through classrooms where lessons went far beyond textbooks. It was here that dreams were first nurtured, friendships forged, and a sense of community instilled. Through wars, societal shifts, and decades of change, the building remained a steadfast witness to the evolving life of Berea.
And now, with its demolition in 2017, a tangible piece of that history is gone. The old school was not merely a structure; it was a symbol of resilience, unity, and the enduring spirit of a small but proud community. Its absence leaves a quiet void where the stories of the past once lingered in the walls. Yet, the legacy it carried—the memories, the lessons, and the sense of place—will continue to live on in the hearts of those who called it a second home.
Though the last original historic building of old Berea is gone, the history it embodied reminds us that the past is never truly lost. It survives in the community’s stories, in the preservation of memories, and in the collective spirit of a town that has always valued its roots.
