Between 1953 and 1969, W. Gresham Meggett Elementary and High School, named after the revered Chairman of the James Island School Board, provided an education for James Island’s African American children. A product of the Equalization era, the modern school was designed by a first-generation American, constructed by an African American builder with strong historic ties to Charleston’s master craftsmen, and funded by a segregationist government bent on keeping South Carolina’s schools separate but equal. As notable as all that sounds, what truly made this school historically important was the community that embraced it, sending their children through its doors ready to learn.
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This website provides oral history interviews from W. Gresham Meggett’s alumni and teachers giving voice to those who struggled for an equal education during segregation. The project was funded by the U.S. Department of Interior and National Park Service through a grant awarded to Charleston County in 2018. New South Associates was selected to conduct the project.
Disclaimer: This project is funded by the African American Civil Rights program of the Historic Preservation Fund, National Park Service, Department of the Interior. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations in this material do not constitute endorsement or necessarily reflect the views of the Department of the Interior or the U.S Government.