Celebrating Legacy: Historical Marker Unveiled for Finley High School in Chester, SC

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Written By Richard Perdomo

CHESTER, S.C. — The legacy of a pioneering figure in public education for rural South Carolina has been permanently commemorated with the unveiling of a new historical marker honoring Finley High School and its namesake, Samuel Louis Finley.

This milestone is particularly significant as it marks the 2,000th historical marker installed in the state.

Local and state leaders, along with community members, gathered for the ceremony on Friday, emphasizing the school’s vital role in the community. Chester Mayor Carlos Williams remarked, This school is vital to our community.

It is more than a building; it’s a legacy that has enriched East Chester and the Chester community for generations.

Finley High School was established in the 1920s as the first high school for Black students in Chester, functioning as an equalization school designed to maintain segregation between Black and White students.

It was named after Samuel Louis Finley, who served as principal and was a celebrated educator during the Jim Crow era.

Historian James Wright, a member of the Finley class of 1963, noted, The great lessons of a great high school, teachers, principal, and staff continue after the last school bell rings.

The South Carolina Historical Marker Program, part of the Department of Archives and History, has been in place for nearly 90 years. In its early decades, it installed just one marker recognizing African American history.

However, the recent surge in markers commemorating public schools for African American students signifies a growing acknowledgment of this vital history.

Edwin Breeden, the coordinator for the State Marker Program, stated, The mission is education, specifically to teach people about the past through the lens of place.

Being physically present where history unfolded can leave a deeper impression and encourage reflection on how that past relates to our present.

While the program is state-managed, local South Carolinians propose, fund, and maintain the markers across all 46 counties. Governor Henry McMaster expressed the need for further recognition, saying, We need to do more of this.

That’s why we need to cover this state, to remind us and teach these young people that spectacular things happened here.

Senator Mike Fanning, whose district includes Chester, emphasized the importance of such markers for shaping the future. If kids are going to know where they’re going, they first need to know where they’ve been, where they’ve come from, he stated.

In a further step towards preservation, Finley High School is set to apply for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places next month.

The former school building now serves as a community center for Chester, continuing its legacy of education and community service.

 

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