The Harbison College President’s Home, located just north of Abbeville, South Carolina, stands as the only remaining structure from the once-thriving Harbison College campus—a historic institution dedicated to the education of African American students in the post-Reconstruction South. Built in 1906–07, the two-story brick residence was constructed with funds donated by Mrs. Samuel P. Harbison of Pennsylvania, whose generosity supported the broader mission of the Board of Missions for Freedmen.

Architecturally, the house is distinguished by its sturdy masonry construction, featuring walls two to three bricks thick, an American Flemish bond brick pattern, and a hipped roof with dormers and interior chimneys. A modest rear kitchen wing adds to its original residential character, while the overall structure remains largely unaltered, preserving its early 20th-century integrity.

Once part of a 65-acre educational campus, the home now sits on a smaller parcel, surrounded by modern development, yet still commands historical reverence. After devastating fires destroyed the college’s main buildings in the early 1900s—tragically claiming student lives—Harbison College relocated to Irmo and eventually closed in 1958. Today, the President’s Home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and serves as a quiet but powerful symbol of Black educational resilience and ambition during a pivotal era in South Carolina’s history.