South Carolina Education - Colleton County




South Carolina Education - Colleton County

Year County Established	County Webpage Herein	County Seat Webpage Herein
1682-1769 (Abolished); 1785-1791 (Abolished); 1800 (Re-established)	Colleton County	N/A; N/A; Walterboro
On September 9, 1779, the South Carolina General Assembly passed an Act to incorporate the John's Island Society. This organization was authorized to build and manage a "seminary of learning, and by supporting poor persons, who, through unavoidable misfortunes, have fallen into indigence" in St. John's, Colleton Parish within the boundaries of the old Colleton County.
On December 21, 1799, the South Carolina General Assembly passed an Act, which included instructions for all escheated property in the Colleton District to be given to the John's Island Society.
On December 13, 1817, the South Carolina General Assembly passed an Act to move the Free School in the town of Dorchester (was in Berkeley County when created in 1734) to any other location in the same parish, now within Colleton County.
On December 20, 1821, the South Carolina General Assembly passed an Act, which included the incorporation of the Walterborough Library Society (Section VI).
On December 20, 1823, the South Carolina General Assembly passed an Act, which included the incorporation of The Library Society of Edisto Island in the Colleton District, with assets up to $5,000 authorized (Section XII).
On December 20, 1825, the South Carolina General Assembly passed an Act, which included the incorporation of The Buck Springs Academy of St. George's Dorchester, named nine (9) trustees, and vested all escheated property, up to $10,000 in value, within the parish of St. George's Dorchester, in the said Buck Springs Academy (Sections IV and V).
On December 19, 1827, the South Carolina General Assembly passed an Act, which included the incorporation of The Buck Spring Library Society in St. George's Parish, with assets up to $5,000 authorized (Section 5).
On December 18, 1829, the South Carolina General Assembly passed an Act, which included the incorporation of The Edisto Island Academical Association, with assets up to $5,000 authorized.
On December 17, 1834, the South Carolina General Assembly passed an Act, which included the incorporation of the Walterborough Academy, and authorized assets up to $10,000 (Section I). In Section XIV of the same Act, they authorized that all escheated property of St. Bartholomew's Parish, up to a value of $10,000, be vested in the Walterborough Academy.
Incorporated December 17, 1834, Walterborough Academy was the forerunner of the present city school system. Its trustees were Malachi Ford, John G. Godfrey, John D. Edwards, David Campbell, and Archibald Campbell. The Reverend John B. Van Dyke served as Preceptor until his death on February 17, 1840.
On December 21, 1839, the South Carolina General Assembly passed an Act, which included the incorporation of the Philomathean Society of the Walterborough Academy for a term of fourteen (14) years, and authorized assets up to $5,000 (Section XXI).
On December 16, 1852, the South Carolina General Assembly passed an Act, which included the appointment of seven named (7) trustees for the Walterborough Academy in the Colleton District (Section VII).
The Act of 1866 below indicates that an earlier Act, of December 1855, either incorporated or renewed the charter of the Walterboro Male Academy. This Author has not been able to find such an Act of 1855, nor any Act that actually "created" this specific academy. Interestingly, the next item below, of 12/17/1863, "renews" an existing charter, but the item of 12/14/1866 below is ambiguous, indicating a new incorporation, but then mentions renewal. It is also likely that the mention of 1855 is incorrect and should have been 1852, as shown directly above.
On December 17, 1863, the South Carolina General Assembly passed an Act, which included the renewal of the charter for the Walterborough Male Academy in the Colleton District for an additional twenty-one (21) years (Section III).
On December 19, 1866, the South Carolina General Assembly passed an Act to incorporate the Walterborough Male Academy, named six (6) new trustees, authorized this academy to receive escheated property formerly vested in the Walterborough Academy, and chartered this academy for an additional fourteen (14) years.
On December 22, 1882, the South Carolina General Assembly passed an Act to establish a new special school district in the town of Walterborough in Colleton County, authorized the new School Trustees to take possession of the town lot known as the Walterborough Academy lot with the right of erecting suitable school buildings thereon, and authorized voters to decide upon an additional special school tax not to exceed two (2) mills on real and personal property. Repealed on 12/24/1885.
On December 23, 1884, the South Carolina General Assembly passed an Act to establish two (2) new special school districts in the town of Summerville, part of which was in Colleton County and part of which was in Berkeley County, named seven (7) trustees, and authorized the voters to decide upon an additional special school tax not to exceed two (2) mills on real and personal property.
On December 24, 1885, the South Carolina General Assembly passed an Act to establish a new special school district in Colleton County, to be known as the Walterboro School District, named seven (7) new trustees, and authorized voters to decide upon an additional special school tax not to exceed two (2) mills on real and personal property. This Act repealed the earlier Act of 12/22/1882.
On December 26, 1885, the South Carolina General Assembly passed an Act to establish a new special school district in the town of Georges [most likely St. George's] in Colleton County, and authorized voters to decide upon an additional special school tax not to exceed two (2) mills on real and personal property. [When this Act was passed, the town of St. George's was in Colleton County. In 1897, the town of St. George was now the county seat of the new Dorchester County.]
On December 24, 1890, the South Carolina General Assembly passed an Act to establish a special school district in Colleton County, to be known as the Hendersonville School District, named five (5) trustees, and authorized voters to decide upon an additional school tax not to exceed two (2) mills on real and personal property.
On December 16, 1891, the South Carolina General Assembly passed an Act to establish a new special school district in Colleton County, to be known as the Ridgeville School District, named five (5) trustees, and authorized voters to decide upon an additional special school tax not to exceed two (2) mills on real and personal property. [When this Act was passed, the town of Ridgeville was in Colleton County. In 1897, the town of Ridgeville was then in Dorchester County.]