GEORGETOWN, S.C. (WCSC) — The Howard School, built in the 1800s as the first publicly funded school for Black students in Georgetown, has been restored and repurposed as administrative offices for the city’s Head Start program.

The building was inaugurated for its new use after sitting vacant and beginning to deteriorate.

The Waccamaw Economic Opportunity Council invested $100,000 to restore the building and convert it into a Head Start facility to educate children between the ages of three and four.

“The Black community had the vision to build a school to educate Black children,” James Pasley, executive director of WEOC, said. “We’re able to take that vision and bring it forward to the day to continue to educate the children of the entire community.”

The restoration preserves the building’s history while expanding classroom space for early childhood education.

“History all over the world is kind of being erased out of schools and communities,” parent Essence Sanders said.

Sanders said teachers are able to explain history and give students an example of how far they can go.

The building is officially open and will be operating in the next school year.