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The purpose of the South Carolina Picture Project is to celebrate the beauty of the Palmetto State while preserving some of its vanishing landscapes.

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Westminster High School

SC PICTURE PROJECT 10 Comments

SC Picture Project / Oconee County / Westminster High School

Located in the upper western corner of South Carolina, Westminster became a thriving railroad and textile town at the end of the nineteenth century. Established as a water stop along the Southern Railway, the town soon became a booming textile manufacturing village when Oconee Mills set up shop here in the late 1800s. Beacon Manufacturing, a cotton blanket mill, was established here in 1904 and is still in operation. Westminster High School was built in 1924 in the “Mill Hill” section of Westminster – the mill village – to educate the children of mill workers as well as other area students as the town progressed.

Westminster High School

William H. Myers, III of Seneca, 2014 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

When built, Westminster High School boasted an auditorium that could seat 1,300 people. The main building included eight classrooms, a domestic sciences suite, and an agricultural sciences suite. The school served local high school students until it consolidated with Oakway High School in 1983 to form West Oak High School. Westminster High School has sat vacant since the construction of the larger West Oak High School.

Plan Your Trip: Westminster High School

Where is Westminster High School located?
Address: College Street, Westminster, SC 29693
GPS Coordinates: 34.665615,-83.091792
What else should I see?
Westminster 0.4 mile
Westminster Presbyterian 0.5 mile
Magnolia Manor 0.9 mile
Retreat Rosenwald School 3.7 miles
Show me more like this!
  • See other South Carolina Schools
  • Westminster Historic Sites
    Westminster High School Map

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. William Burton says

      April 10, 2019 at 12:06 PM

      I went to the school afterI left the Old Oak Grove school when it closed then went to this school for 2 years had Mrs Harris for teacher then they transferred us to the new school on Walhalla highway enjoyed those years a lot!!

      Reply
    2. Angela Jo Burton says

      April 8, 2019 at 6:08 AM

      I am the granddaughter of the late Robert T. Burton and Effie Hanna Dixon Burton of Long Creek, and the late Clifford E. Land and Jodie M. Marcengill. Parents of the late Charles R. Burton and Betty R. Land Burton Smith of Westminster, I have four brothers and one sister. Charles Randy Burton, Janice E. Burton, Wayne M. Burton, and myself Angela J. Burton. I went to school at the college street. I have pair of praying hands that I made. If you decide what you are going to with the buildings I would like to donate the praying hands?

      Reply
    3. Frankie Morgan says

      March 19, 2019 at 2:03 PM

      Request permission to copy image of Westminster High school for personal childhood memory for my children to see.

      Reply
      • SC Picture Project says

        March 21, 2019 at 12:37 PM

        We have sent the photographer a note with your contact information, thanks for your comment!

        Reply
    4. Pete Westafer says

      April 15, 2018 at 3:48 PM

      My mother, Dorothy Stambaugh, taught modern languages at this school in 1939-40. She and several other teachers boarded at 211 Retreat Street. Anyone have any info about the school during this time period?

      Reply
    5. Thomas Brown says

      December 18, 2016 at 8:49 AM

      This building was replaced by a new high school on Walhalla Highway in the mid 1950s that was used as a high school until consolidation with Oakway High School. The pictured building was used as an elementary school for a number of years following the move to the new high school.

      Reply
      • SCIWAY says

        December 19, 2016 at 8:37 AM

        Thank you, Thomas!

        Reply
    6. Trena Lynn Smith says

      February 24, 2016 at 7:10 PM

      I would love to turn this into an upscale assisted living.

      Reply
    7. Christy Compton Nicholson says

      February 24, 2016 at 1:10 AM

      Is this not the old college street middle school?

      Reply
      • Jerry Wright says

        February 1, 2018 at 7:29 PM

        It is.

        Reply

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    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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    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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