Brainerd Institute was a school for African Americans in

Chester, South Carolina Chester is a small rural city in Chester County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 5,607 at the 2010 census, down from 6,476 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Chester County, South Carolina, Chester County. The community ...

. It was founded by the Presbyterian Church and opened in 1868. Alumni include Vivian Ayers Allen and Daniel Jackson Sanders. Originally an elementary school it served 10 grades by 1913. It expanded to include Brainerd Junior College, a teacher training program, in 1934. It closed in 1939 as competition from public schools increased. Originally established with support from the

Freedmen's Bureau The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, usually referred to as simply the Freedmen's Bureau, was a U.S. government agency of early post American Civil War Reconstruction, assisting freedmen (i.e., former enslaved people) in the ...

, the school was later sponsored by the Presbyterian Church. The only remaining building from the school's 18 acre campus is Kumler Hall. It is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. The University of South Carolina Libraries have a collection of photographs related to the school. It was preceded by Fairfield Institute run by Willard Richardson in

Winnsboro, South Carolina Winnsboro is a town in Fairfield County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 3,550 at the 2010 census. The population was 3,215 at the 2020 census, a population decrease of approximately 9.5% for the same 10 year period. It is the ...

References

External links

National Register of Historic Places in Chester County, South Carolina Presbyterian schools in the United States African-American history of South Carolina {{AfricanAmerican-stub