Lincoln High School

The former Lincoln High School has been an important educational, social, and civic landmark for the local African American community since it was established in 1937. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it operated from 1937 to 1969 and now serves as a community gathering place for civic and social functions. The building represents a brief period when white South Carolinians who hoped to forestall racial integration supported better facilities for Black students after Black leaders pointed out that the doctrine of separate but equal implied that segregation was only legal if school facilities were equal. While the era of explicit segregation may seem distant, this former school is one of many public schools created prior to Brown v. Board that are now home to community organizations. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.

The original part of the old school, the center portion, was built in 1937. The federal government helped fund its construction through the Works Progress Administration, which was one of several "New Deal" agencies established in the 1930s to boost the economy during the Great Depression. Additions (the south wing and the gym) were built in 1952 and in 1967 the columned facade was built.

The 1952 additions were erected in response to a court case (Briggs v. Elliot) that challenged the segregated school system in Clarendon County. Until the 1950s, the quality of African American schools in South Carolina was very poor, so the state passed a new tax law to improve them to avoid integration. In 1951, the African American community in Sumter called for their schools in Sumter to be included in this effort, arguing that the schools were overcrowded and inadequate (51 students from Lincoln High also filed a petition with the city council). The new additions to Lincoln High were a significant upgrade.

In its curriculum, Lincoln High was also somewhat unique. While most African American schools offered classes in the fundamentals and practical vocations— such as shop class, home economics, and typing—Lincoln High also offered classes in math, English, French, biology, chemistry, history, art, and music. In this way, Lincoln High represented an opportunity for young African Americans in Sumter and the surrounding communities to obtain a better education.

South Carolina schools were finally desegregated in 1969 and Lincoln High merged with a white high school to form Sumter High School. Lincoln High operated as a campus of Sumter High until 1983. The old Lincoln High building became a Catholic school in 1984. Its name was later changed to the Trinity Lincoln Center after Trinity United Methodist Church bought it. The Church sold then building in 2009 to the Lincoln High School Alumni Association and Preservation Society.

Petrulis, Robert et al. "Lincoln High School." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. January 27, 2015. https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/a1212f68-52c3-46d1-a816-b01d129028a6.