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Possum Trot School

SC PICTURE PROJECT 8 Comments

SC Picture Project / Cherokee County / Possum Trot School

Possum Trot School is located in the upstate city of Gaffney. It was built in 1880 and is one of the few remaining one-room schools in South Carolina. The school was originally located on farmland in the Midway community just outside Gaffney. It was constructed by brothers Jimmy and Tom Pettit (with the help from other Cherokee County residents) and educated students through 11th grade. The name “Possum Trot” is a term used in the South to describe a shortcut between two rural homesteads or villages.

Possum Trot

Michael Mascari of Blythewood, 2018 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

With the construction of newer, larger schools, Possum Trot School was abandoned and eventually fell into disrepair. In 1969, Louise Phifer Camp hired local builder Ernest Wyatt to restore the schoolhouse as a gift for her husband Bill Camp, a Gaffney native who attended the school with his siblings. Although the school had greatly deteriorated over the years, its foundation was still intact, which made it possible for Wyatt to restore the building to its original measurements.

Possum Trot School

Ann Helms of Spartanburg, 2010 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

Due to a property transfer in 1992, the school had to be moved to its current location next to Hamrick’s department store on Peachoid Road. It now sits just a half-mile from the famous Gaffney Peachoid.

Possum Trot School Interior

Rodger Painter of Gaffney, 2019 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

Plans are in place to relocate Possum Trot once more. Moving the old school to the site of the Cherokee County History and Arts Museum will allow it to become an integral part of the community. The building is expected to be open to the public daily, whereas it is now open during special events only.

Reflections on Possum Trot School


Photographer Rodger Painter, who shares the interior photo above, says: “I shot this on May 25, 2019, during the Cherokee Historical & Preservation Society’s 50th Anniversary Celebration. The old school currently is located at Hamrick’s property on Peachoid Road. Plans are to move it to the Cherokee County History and Arts Museum on College Drive where it can be better maintained and opened daily to the public. It currently is open only on special occasions.”

Plan Your Trip: Possum Trot School

Where is Possum Trot School located?
Address: Peachoid Road, I-85 at Exit 90, Gaffney, SC 29340
GPS Coordinates: 35.085162,-81.703539
What else should I see?
Gaffney Peachoid 2 miles
Gaffney City Hall 5.1 miles
Old Gaffney Post Office 5.1 miles
Cherokee County Carnegie Library 5.2 miles
Show me more like this!
  • Gaffney Historic Sites
  • See other South Carolina Schools
    Possum Trot School Map

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Michael says

      December 12, 2021 at 3:27 PM

      Love this insight on the history! My wife and I were married in front of the Possum Trot School in 2019. The backstory is that my now wife and I couldn’t acquire a FL marriage license in time for our destination wedding so we met her ordained father halfway from one another’s homes in SC to officially marry in secret and by chance found Possum Trot! It was a 25 year in the making high school sweetheart reunion that trumps “The Notebook.” Couldn’t be happier! Great impulse finding at the Possum Trot School that is forever engraved in our memories with photos to boot! Just ask if you want to see them!

      Reply
    2. Curtis Grier says

      January 20, 2019 at 4:59 PM

      As a child back in the 60s I believe, myself and a group of other African-American children had a picture taken in front of the school with the wife of the POTUS at that time. I’m trying to find a copy of that picture, can you assist?

      Reply
      • SC Picture Project says

        January 20, 2019 at 7:56 PM

        We have never seen this photo but would love to! We will search online and will let you know if we come across anything. If you happen to find it before we do, could you let us know either here or via email at share@scpictureproject.org? Thank you!

        Reply
    3. William Myers says

      October 22, 2016 at 6:56 PM

      Do they ever open the school to the public? We noticed it is furnished.

      Reply
    4. Pherson Weathermon says

      January 31, 2016 at 4:52 AM

      Is there a way I could take photos on the inside of the school?

      Reply
      • SCIWAY says

        February 1, 2016 at 9:39 AM

        Ask the Cherokee Preservation Society if you can photograph the inside. The group’s website is linked in the page above. Good luck!

        Reply
    5. Sara says

      May 21, 2013 at 10:51 AM

      I would like to see pictures of the inside and know some of what they learn. Do they learn the same things as I do?

      Reply
    6. Gloria Hawkins says

      May 11, 2013 at 8:31 PM

      I would like to learn Possum Trot’s history and to photograph it. Is that possible?

      Reply

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    ABOUT US

    We are a federally-recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to preserve the history of South Carolina’s historic, natural, and cultural landmarks before they are lost to time. This website serves as a permanent digital archive of over 2,300 South Carolina landmarks – and counting. Learn more about our work.

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