Fountain Inn Principal’s House and teacherage
The Fountain Inn Principal’s House and Teacherage, located at 105 Mt. Zion Drive in Fountain Inn, South Carolina, is a historic structure built in 1935. It is the only remaining building associated with the Fountain Inn Negro School complex, which served the educational needs of the African American community in Fountain Inn until the 1960s.
The teacherage was constructed as a residence for teachers and, by the 1940s, also housed the principal and his family. Its design includes a separate entrance at the southwest corner, which accessed the kitchen and accommodated home economics classes. The building was designed to offer comfortable domestic amenities, such as front corner porches and modern indoor bathrooms, while also serving as an instructional facility. The teacherage is nearly identical to Plan No. 301, a design for teacher homes supported by the Julius Rosenwald Fund, although it was constructed after the end of the Rosenwald Fund school program.
The Fountain Inn Negro School complex included:
- A grade school built in 1928 (a Rosenwald school)
- A high school built in 1930
- A library
- The Clayton “Peg Leg” Bates Gymnasium, built in 1942
These buildings served the educational needs of Fountain Inn’s African American community until the students of this community were enrolled in Fountain Inn High School in the 1960s.
The Fountain Inn Principal’s House and Teacherage was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 27, 2011, for its significance in the areas of education and ethnic heritage. It is the only remaining building associated with the Fountain Inn Negro School complex.