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Black Heritage in the Upper Piedmont of South Carolina

Whittenberg Cassette 3 Side 2

Media

Part of Interview: Whittenberg, Ezra W.

Title

Whittenberg Cassette 3 Side 2

Source

Ezra W. Whittenberg Interview

Date

1990-07-03

Description

Cassette 3

Side 2

00:04--Church--singing schools were held once a week for people not in the church choir. Whites occasionally attended his church; they especially liked the style and delivery of the black preachers. Church groups included the Women's Auxiliary, and the Baptist Young People's Union.

4:40--Education--he started at a one-room schoolhouse at Reedy Forks. One teacher (Mrs. Bernie Sullivan) taught seven grades. He had to walk 4 miles to and from school. There was an hour difference in the start times between the black and white schools. Black schools opened at 9:30am and closed at 3:00pm. The school year lasted only three months. He goes on to describe the benches that students sat in, general curriculum, and lunch and recess activities. He traces his education from elementary school in Simpsonville through Morris and South Carolina State Colleges. He went on to teach agriculture locally. He states that he himself planted the white oak trees at the East End School in the early days of his teaching career.

28:22--Mamie (his oldest sister) was the first in the family to attend college.

30:30--He begins recollections of college by listing the items in his wardrobe.

31:34--Audio ends.

Rights

Interviews may only be reproduced with permission from Clemson University Libraries Special Collections and Archives. All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the Clemson University Libraries Special Collections and Archives.