Greenville County · Marker 23-32
Sterling High School
corner of Calhoun & Pendleton Sts., Greenville
Front inscription
Sterling High School stood 3/4 mi. southeast of here and served generations of African Americans in Greenville. Founded in 1896 by Rev. D.M. Minus and called Greenville Academy, it was first located in West Greenville. It moved into a new two-story brick school nearby in 1902 and was then renamed Sterling Industrial College after Mrs. E.R. Sterling, who had financed Rev. Minus’s education at Claflin University.
Reverse inscription
The school closed briefly but reopened in 1915 as Enoree High School, owned by the Enoree Baptist Assn. The Greenville Co. School District bought the school in 1929, made it the first black public high school in the county, and restored the name Sterling. After it burned in Sept. 1967, classes moved to Greenville Jr. High, renamed Sterling Jr.-Sr. High. It closed after the 1969-70 school year.