Caroline Center Celebrates MLK Jr. Legacy

Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

The Caroline Community Center in Williamston celebrated the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., on Saturday with a breakfast event where they were encouraged to remember the legacy of family and others who had been important to their development.

Keynote Speaker Dr. William McCoy, who is director of the Rutland Institute for Ethics at Clemson University, called on the crowd to remember “Mama ‘n’ ‘em,” recalling the role his mother, teachers and others in the community had on his life.

The Caroline Community Center was established as a school for Black children in Williamston more than 150 years ago. Founded by Forest Washington and named in honor of his wife, Caroline School was initially housed in a building known as "The Hall" on the grounds of the New Prospect Baptist Church.

The school moved to several different locations as it expanded and grew and moved to a four-room schoolhouse on West Caroline Street 1908. When this building burned down in 1935, it was replaced by a new school at 1 School Street, which is now the current location of the Caroline Community Center.

Caroline School served as both an elementary and high school for Black students until 1955, when it became an elementary school and remained in operation until the early 1980s, when it was phased out.

A group of Black community members from the New Prospect Baptist Church, Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church, and the neighborhood established the Williamston Action Community Club (W.A.C.C.), acquired the school in 1985 with the goal of turning the Caroline Elementary School property into a community center.

Today, the Caroline Community Center is a hub of community activity and a testament to the strength, support, and diversity of the Williamston community. Under the leadership of the W.A.C.C., the center offers a range of programs, events, and services for people of all ages and backgrounds for the people of Williamston and Anderson County.