Bettis Academy

Rev. Alexander Bettis, a former slave who could read but couldn't write, established Bettis Academy in 1882 to provide education for African-Americans in South Carolina. Bettis Academy provided both day and boarding options for its students. Its curriculum emphasized the Bible and religious instruction, literacy, mechanical and agricultural arts, and home economics. Bettis Academy closed in 1950. An annual Earth Day event is held there each April. The site is currently closed for tours.