Wilkinson High School

Front inscription

In 1938, Orangeburg’s first black high school opened on Goff Ave. at a campus built by the Works Progress Administration. It was named for Dr. Robert Shaw Wilkinson (1865-1932), pres. of S.C. State A&M College. The school’s mascot was the Wolverines, and its colors were maroon and gray. Its motto was “Strive to excel, not to equal.” It would ultimately be the city’s only black high school.

Reverse inscription

In 1953, Wilkinson moved to a new campus at this site, built to help the state preserve segregation by equalizing black and white schools. In 1971, Wilkinson integrated with the white high school to form Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School. Grades 9-10 attended this campus until 1973, when it became a junior high school, later named for Dr. Robert E. Howard, Wilkinson principal from 1952-1971.