On October 16th, 2011, Pine Hill A.M.E. Church held a dedication service commemorating the church and former Pine Hill School becoming a Historical Landmark. The church was founded in 1876 and was located on what is now S.C. Hwy 34. In 1891, Alfred Franklin Page and his wife Laura Willis Page donated 1.97 acres of land at what is now 2258 Centerville Road, Latta, SC located just off Hwy 34. This is the present site of the church. A new sanctuary was erected in 1977.
On one side of the historical Marker, pays tribute to the Pine Hill Rosenwald School. This was one of the first ten Rosenwald Schools built in the state. The Pine Hill School was built in 1917. It was a two room school built in part by the Rosenwald Foundation for Black students. The school reached a peak of 208 students in 1938-1939.
There were two to four teachers at the school. The school closed in 1957 and burned in 1977. All that is left of the school are the concrete steps. Pine Hill was one of 500 rural black schools built in South Carolina funded by the Rosenwald Foundation from 1917-1932.
The Historical Marker was made possible through gifts from church members and others in the community who gave to this project to erect this impressive marker. Pine Hill would be one of the oldest African-American churches in Dillon County established long before Dillon was a county. The church has a well maintained cemetery.
Many officials of the A.M.E. denomination were on hand for the dedication of the marker. Bishop Preston Warren Williams, II, presiding Bishop of the Seventh Episcopal District was the guest speaker. Rev. Mamie E. Mitchell is pastor of the church.
School marker reads as follows:
Pine Hill Rosenwald School
Pine Hill Rosenwald School, one of the first ten Rosenwald schools in the state, was built here in 1917~18. One of 500 rural black schools in S.C. funded in part by Julius Rosenwald Foundation 1917~1932, it was a frame two~room school. With two to four teachers, it reached a peak of 208 students in grades 1~7 in 1938~39. The school closed in 1957 and burned in 1977. Erected by the congregation 2011.
