George Fish School

Front inscription

This was the site of Fort Mill’s longest operating school dedicated to African Americans. Built on a 4-acre parcel acquired in 1925, the brick school opened in 1926 and cost $12,200, a portion of which was paid by the Julius Rosenwald Fund. The school was named for George Fish (1868-1933), a white mill manager who supported its construction. African Americans were previously taught at the old Fort Mill Academy building 1 mi. SW.

Reverse inscription

The design of the George Fish School followed the Rosenwald Fund’s six-teacher floor plan and included six classrooms, an auditorium, stage, and library. By the 1930s, the school enrolled grades 1-8 before adding a ninth grade and, by 1941, a high school. It remained a segregated school for African Americans until 1968, when it integrated and became Fort Mill Jr. High. The school was sold in 1986 and later demolished.