Please note that the old Shiloh School sits on private property and suffers from extensive termite damage. Its owner is contemplating tearing it down because trespassers routinely come on her property and enter the building, which is not safe. Please do not intrude without permission.
Known as the old Shiloh School, this beloved landmark is located in Anderson County just outside the community of Starr near the juncture of US 29 and SC 412 (also called Rainey Road). The area was once known as Holland’s Store.
There has been a Shiloh School in Starr since at least 1889, as a clipping from the Anderson Intelligencer, dated November 21st of that year, shows that the community “employed Mr. W. R. Earle to teach a ten months’ [sic] school for them at that place.”
The school was almost certainly associated with a nearby church of the same name (see map below). The age of the church is unknown, but newspaper accounts show that a Christmas tree was displayed there in 1884. Further, in an 1887 article, the Reverend B. M. Peck is listed as the pastor of Shiloh.
The three-room school building usually staffed two teachers, though there were years when it employed only one teacher and years when it hired up to three. Shiloh was ranked a “first class rural graded school” due to its adequate supply of properly-sized desks and chairs, as well as the sufficient quality of its blackboard, as noted by Furman University professor Lueco Gunter in his 1918 study of Anderson County’s schools.
Mrs. Hazel Cooper Griffin Glenn served as Shiloh School’s teacher and principal in 1942. In an interview with Ms. Glenn, we learn that the school was heated by fire and had no interior plumbing. We also learn that she taught about 20 students during her year and received $90 a month for being the teacher, $5 a month for being the principal, and “not anything for being the janitor!”
The school is the subject of an oft-repeated myth. Construction on nearby Lake Hartwell began in 1955 and lasted until 1963. Many claim that Shiloh School was moved from its original location to the pasture where it now rests to avoid flooding. However, this is untrue. As seen in the below excerpt from the South Carolina Department of Transportation’s 1937 survey of Anderson County, Shiloh School has been sitting in the same place – at the juncture of US 29 and SC 412 – since at least that time.
The community was originally named in honor of the Holland family, which operated a mercantile near the Savannah River named Holland’s Store. We are seeking information on when and why the community opted to change its name to Starr.
SCIWAY thanks contributors Courtney Jones and Cricket Jenkins, both of whom were instrumental in supplying us with information on this fascinating old school. We also thank Anderson County Museum curator Alison Hinman for information regarding Leuco Gunter’s study. Finally, we thank the owner, Mrs. Darlene Roach, as well as her late husband Wendell, for the time they spent sharing stories about their home.
More Pictures of Shiloh School
I purchased this property recently – about 9 months ago. I would love to know if there are any resources to help preserve the school.
My father went to that school in the 1920s and it was exactly where it is now. If it was moved, it was before then. Also, Columbus Glenn that was killed in the Holland Store was my great-great grandfather.
Thank you for letting us know about the location, and your family connection! Did your dad ever mention any memories he had of going to school there? If so, we would love to hear them! If you would like to email us, our email address is share@scpictureproject.org.
Who is the owner of the Old Shiloh School?
If someone can tell me were I can find some original blueprints or photos of the Old Shiloh School, or if you have some, that would be great.
My great-great-great grandmother was Minnie Holland. I have letters written to her from her suitor, Arthur Martin Erwin, my great-great-great grandfather. I always wondered where Holland’s Store area actually was.
Miss Glenn was a teacher here and was my aunt on my mother’s side. My Great-Grandfather was murdered at Holland’s Store on Election Day. No one was ever held accountable in the death.
The Shiloh School house was used in a story called Shiloh.
The school was built in 1882 and was stopped being used as a school in 1901 because of structural failure, as you can see in the picture.
I live here and oh, by the way I love this place. This is a place I go to every day, and thank you for posting this pic. Today I will go and check out the inside and post some pics for you to look at!
I’m a little late to the party, but a couple of observations … the school building is located on private land – in fact, in the middle of a cow pasture. It was moved there from its original location which is now under water with the making of Lake Hartwell in 1962. It is one of my favorite subjects to photograph and paint.
I want to thank Joanne Brown Revell for so kindly mentioning me and linking to my Flickr page. I’ll bet there are a minimum of six pics of Shiloh School on my pages.
I would also like to thank SCIWAY for supplying the Regional Directory link within this discussion! I am the Webmaster (I prefer Webographer!) for the Appalachian Council of Governments and the Regional Directory is one of my creations. Glad to see it is being used!
Wow… two seemingly unrelated connections tied to me showing up in a single discussion! That must be a record!
Hi — I was wondering if it’s legal, or if I could obtain permission to metal detect on the school grounds for older coins. I would share my findings. Thank you!
Hi Mark! Shiloh School is located on private property. You would need to contact the owner in order to obtain permission. The owner has had significant trouble with trespassers in the past, and he has been forced to consider demolition because of this. The building is unstable and stands in an active cow pasture.
This is in answer to your post from September 15, 2010:
I live in Florence County, SC, but have family in Anderson County, and had wondered for some time if this school was under Lake Hartwell or if it had been moved. On my last trip to the area with my sister (Fall 2010) we took off down Highway 412 from Highway 81 and found this old school and we were thrilled to death. I just snapped a few pictures from out on the highway (mine were nothing special.) This is a nice photo you have of it posted here.
Also, I recently found some great photos others had taken on flicker.com, along with this bit of information about the school:
> A video of a short interview with Hazel Glenn, principal of Shiloh School in 1942, which shows some interior shots of the building. In 1942, Hazel Glenn was the teacher and principal of the Shiloh School, which can still be seen from US 29. http://www.independentmail.com/videos/detail/hazel-glenn-and-shiloh-school/
> Posted by Carolina Shots — Cricket (Lynne Jenkins):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/carolinashots/2613695652/in/photostream/
She has two other views of it as well, in her photo stream, along with other great shots of the area. That part of the state is simply beautiful beyond words.
Thank you for SCIWAY! I enjoy visiting your website very much. I’d love to see more information, pictures, and maps from the old days in Anderson and Abbeville Counties.
Wow! THANK YOU Joanne for your detective work and great comment. SCIWAY relies so much on the knowledge of our visitors for some of our information, and your comment certainly answers a lot of questions about this beautiful old school. Thank you again!
Cool picture!
My mother-in-law who is 80 was raised in the Shiloh community and was married at Shiloh Baptist Church. Her father was on the school board, and she says she does not remember the old school ever being used in her lifetime. I wonder how old the building is?
How interesting! It must be extremely old, as we were not able to find much information about the school either. Hopefully, another SCIWAY visitor will be able to pass along a bit of knowledge about this school in the future. Thank you so much for your comment!
I really love this picture. I hope to see this in person one day soon! Thank you for sharing!
We’re so glad you like it!