C.A. Brown High School

Front inscription

This campus was built in 1962 as a high school for African American residents of Charleston’s East Side. Initially known as East Side High School, it was named for longtime school board chairman Charles A. Brown soon after opening. The 57-classroom brick facility originally fronted Blake St. and included a cafetorium, gymnasium, and industrial shop. About 1,400 students in grades 8-12 attended the school in its first year. The first principal was Nathaniel L. Manigault.

Reverse inscription

C.A. Brown High School’s mascot was the Panthers. The school colors were black and gold. The school remained predominantly Black after countywide integration in 1970. C.A. Brown’s last senior class graduated in 1982, when it and Charleston High School were merged into Burke High School. Burke briefly held 9th and 10th grade classes at this site. Trident Technical College acquired the C.A. Brown property in 1984 and moved its downtown Palmer Campus here in 1986.