These videos of Blythewood natives are from the South Carolina ETV site knowitall.org 2017 Black History Month project . You can visit the site at this link where they are archived, or watch them on this page.
Dorothy Wilson talks about her grandfather, William Griffin. The history of William Griffin goes back to 1886. The Griffin family were sharecroppers and farmers. Her grandfather purchased 80 acres of land so he would have land for his family and also to provide homes for others. He sold his first acre of land for a $150.
The community was segregated and Bethel High School was the school for black students. Teachers were recruited for Columbia to teach at Bethel. Mr. Griffin provided housing for many of these teachers during the week and they would return to their homes on the weekend.
Constelena Kelly’s great-great grandfather, a Caucasian man, was married to a Cherokee Native American who lived on the reservation. A time came when she was not allowed to live anywhere but on the reservation, so he kept his wife hidden in the house. Six children were born from this union.
Kelly’s grandmother, Esther Kelly, went to see Martin Luther King, Jr when he visited the area for a meeting. People were encouraged that one day whites and black would attend schools together and treat each other with dignity.
Francine Davis’ family moved to Blythewood in 1940 so she can attend the only black high school available in District 2. There were several church-based schools for black children to attend, but Bethel High School was the only school during this period of segregation.
Explore the African American community through the experiences of Blythewood resident, Ruby Brice. Brice’s paternal family lived in Blythewood since the late 1800s. In the early 1900s, her maternal family moved to Blythewood to attend the local schools. Bethel High School was the only black school in the district. Students traveled from surrounding towns like Elgin, Pontiac, State Park and even Fort Jackson. Since schools were segregated, African American students from the military base had to travel to the only black high school in the area.
Baseball was the number one recreation for African American families in the area.
Brice, grandfather David Hagler, worked as a track layer on the Southern Railways for forty-four years. Her grandfather was also an entrepreneur, owning a store that used to be located where the current Blythewood town sign sits near I-77, Exit 27 Blythewood.
Naomi and Matty share memories of their father and growing up in Blythewood.
Their father was a farmer and activist, encouraging people in the community to register to vote. This was during the time of segregation. The family suffered the loss of their barn due to a purposely set fire, but this still didn’t discourage their father from encouraging people to vote.
Matty used to clean houses and talks about how she wasn’t allowed to enter through the front door.