King's Chapel A.M.E. Church

The first King's Chapel A.M.E Church was organized in 1869 as the "Colored Methodist Episcopal Church" in the home of Simon Robinson.

This church, established in 1889, was founded in part by Reverend Augustus Vance. Vance and his family give name to the street on which the church still stands, as well as the Vance house next door.

The property was paid for with $20 in coins, delivered in a bucket by Sidney Burt, one of the first trustees of the church. The original wooden church was rebuilt in 1957 as the brick chapel seen today.

The Vance House

The Vance House was built at the turn of the 19th century by the Rev. Augustus Vance, an early pastor and founder of the King's Chapel A.M.E Church and a trustee of the first African-American school in Pendleton. The church and the school are located on either side of the Vance House on the street which now bears the Vance family name. The house is privately owned by a Vance family descendant.

First African-American School

The First African-American School in Pendleton was founded shortly after the Civil War. This school provided an education for the African American community prior to the establishment of the Anderson County Training High School.

Pendleton native Jane Hunter, founder of the Phyllis Wheatley centers for working girls, attended the school for three years.

While the school no longer stands, the site is commemorated by an historic marker, placed July 5, 1995.

King's Chapel Cemetery

King's Chapel A.M.E. Church cemetery was originally established as one of several burial sites for enslaved persons in Pendleton.

It contains some of the oldest dated graves of African-American residents in the area. One such individual is "Lucinda," a who died in 1854 and had a burial marker placed by the family who owned her.

Old Silver Springs Baptist Church

The Old Silver Springs Baptist Church was established c. 1874. Its churchyard contains 75 marked grave sites.

Although the building still stands, the Silver Springs Baptist Church congregation now meets in a newer building on N. Mechanic St.

The Howard-Morse House

The Howard-Morse House was an early boarding house for African-American teachers, built around an original 19th century structure.

Jane Hunter stayed here on her trips home to Pendleton. Privately owned by Morse family descendants.

The Keese Barn

The Keese Barn was built c. 1910 as a country store. Run by Benjamin Horace Keese, this structure soon grew to house a café, living quarters, and ultimately became a widely-known antiques business. It was the only public eating and gathering spot for the African-American community outside of churches before integration.

The Keese Barn became a meeting place for the Black community, earning it the nickname "The Hundreds," due to the scores of people who gathered there through the years. The structure no longer stands; in its place, Clemson architecture students built a memorial reusing some of the historic materials to commemorate the Keese Barn and its significance to the community.

Old Anderson County Training School

The Anderson County Training School for African American high school students first opened in 1923. It was part of the Rosenwald Foundation school construction program. It included the Faith Cabin Library, which was constructed in 1939 and was the first library open to blacks in Pendleton.

Black students attended this school, then later Riverside High, until Integration. A remaining portion of the school now serves as a community center.

Degan Faith Cabin Library

The Degan Faith Cabin Library was built in 1939 as part of the Anderson County Training High School. It is a freestanding log-built library, one of several built under the Faith Cabin Library program, and was the first library for the black community of Pendleton.

Faith Cabin Libraries sought to improve educational opportunities in black communities throughout the South. The Degan Faith Cabin Library is one of only two remaining examples of the Faith Cabin Libraries.