This former brick school and gymnasium in the Indiantown community of Hemingway sit adjacent to Indiantown Presbyterian Church. The school served white students during segregation. Black students attended nearby Battery Park School during the 1950s; that school was built as an equalization school, or a school built with ostensibly the same accommodations as white schools. Equalization schools were popular in South Carolina as a means to forestall integration.
According to photographer Linda Brown, Indiantown Presbyterian Church purchased the buildings after the school closed. Brown recalls, “I remember in the 1980s attending concerts and locally produced plays there.”
The buildings have fallen into disrepair, so they likely have not hosted events in a number of years. However, also according to Brown, there have been talks in recent years about restoring the former school buildings, though no evidence shows that such efforts have yet begun.
We would like to make this page better but are having trouble finding information about either the old school or the gymnasium. Do you know anything about these landmarks that you can share? No detail is to small. Please send your story to the South Carolina Picture Project. We appreciate it!
My wife has her mom’s (Sally Nesmith) yearbooks from 1938 and 1940 – “The Wigwam.” If there is a physical site for memorabilia we would gladly send them to you. Respectfully, Jay.
That is incredibly kind of you! I think the best resource for those yearbooks would be the Williamsburg Historical Museum in Kingstree, I am sure they’d love the chance to look through them and share them with the public. Their address is 135 Hampton Avenue in Kingstree and their phone number is (843)-355-3306, hope this helps!
My siblings and I went to school there in the 60s. My brother and I played sports in this very gym. And I played piano in the auditorium. Thanks for sharing.
I am looking for any photos from 1952 or 1953 of Mrs. Nellie Bartell Stewart’s first grade class which I “audited” while my mother had her fist year back at teaching, high school English. Our housekeeper, who was to look after me, died unexpectedly at the last minute so arrangements were made for me to attend the first grade for no credit at about age 4 1/2. I remember some and was often retold of experience there, particularly with some students in Mama’s class who looked after me when the first grade session was finished. There are a lot of people still living who went to Indiantown School, a school with great basketball teams, and there should be many photos worth scanning with a cell phone and posting.
We would be thrilled to see them, we have been hoping somebody would come forward with some photos!
Today I lost my high school ring for the class of 1954. Any help in replacing it would be appreciated.
Thank you
Hello James, we are not officially affiliated with the Indiantown School but do hope that you’re able to figure out a replacement for such a meaningful remembrance of your high school years. We recommend reaching out to the Williamsburg County School District directly, their phone number is (843)-355-5571, we hope this helps!