Mortgage Broker in Oak Grove, SC

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Kids have always scraped their knees on the playground, gotten a thrill when first learning to write their names and competed fiercely during games at recess. But Oak Grove Elementary students have noticed a world of difference this year when stepping into the shoes of kids their age who lived two centuries years ago.

The Lexington school is celebrating its 200th year of educating children, and teachers are using the milestone to inspire their lesson plans. Students have written about life in the 1800s, read books about one-room schoolhouses and dressed up like historical figures for a “wax museum.”

The highlight of the 200th birthday celebration was a visit to the Lexington County Museum in the fall where the original Oak Grove school sits. Principal Sherry Cariens said all 700 of Oak Grove’s students were able to explore the schoolhouse and even practice writing with a quill pen.

“It made history real to them,” she said.

“We hope they see how lucky they are to have more educational opportunities and technology now,” museum Director J.R. Fennell said.

1800s: The first Oak Grove schoolhouse

One room. Two windows with no glass. About 20 kids.

The first Oak Grove schoolhouse was simple and unassuming. Kids sat on hard benches holding wooden slates to practice their letters. A fireplace at the front of the room kept the room warm, and an open-design ceiling allowed the hot air in the summer to escape a little faster.

Records from that time period indicate many schools like Oak Grove didn’t always have a professional teacher. A farmer with spare time instead was given the task of educating the local children.

“If he didn’t know how to spell something, the kids didn’t learn it,” Fennell said.

Children, most of whom walked to school, would have attended the first Oak Grove school until age of 13 for boys and 11 for girls, who had to stay home and learn the “domestic arts.”

Much like today, kids had school from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and took breaks for recess and lunch. Cariens said she was amazed to see the size of the lunch pails on display in the schoolhouse compared to the size of her students’ lunchboxes today, which are about twice the size and usually decorated with the newest cartoon characters.

No matter the century, kids still found a way to avoid going to class. Fennell said it wasn’t unusual for a student to dump the water from the communal bucket out the window when the teacher had his back turned to have an excuse to head outside to the water pump and refill it.

The schoolhouse was donated to the Lexington County Museum in 1984. Staff built an educational program around it, and about 1,000 kids come during a field trip each year.

1890s to 1974: The in-between schools

Local kids attended the one-room schoolhouse until the 1890s. The students had outgrown the space, and a larger school was built.

A family purchased the original school and used it as a barn for several years, which Fennell said likely preserved the structure better than if it had sat empty and deteriorated. The new school was a bit of an upgrade with glass windows and two rooms, but it was still one story.

Students began to see more female teachers in the post-Civil War era. They had to be single and weren’t allowed to continue teaching once they were married.

Even a few decades later the rule was still around, as referenced by the late Zela C. Boozer in her personal memoirs. Boozer’s stories of growing up in Lexington and eventually becoming a teacher at Oak Grove have been preserved by her granddaughter, Brenda Boozer Nichols, principal at Rocky Creek Elementary in Lexington.

“She always liked to tell stories, and I told her they’d be best sellers, at least here in Lexington,” recalled Boozer’s niece Mandy Derrick, a teacher at Rocky Creek Elementary.

Born in 1912, Boozer graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1933 when she said teaching positions were “scarcer than scarce” because of the Great Depression. Fortunately, there was a vacancy at Oak Grove School, where Boozer would become one of three teachers earning $55 a month.

Boozer began her career at the third Oak Grove schoolhouse, which was built as a two-story building in the 1910s. The white-frame schoolhouse was where she taught first, second and third grades.

“There were two classrooms downstairs and a big auditorium upstairs … Windows lined the outside wall so you can imagine how drafty those rooms were in the cold weather,” she wrote.

Teachers at Oak Grove had to build their own fires in a stove in the corner of the room. Groups of students took turns warming up, and Fennell said boys often would sit as far away from the fire as they could to prove their toughness.

Boozer and her fellow teachers made do not just without computers but without many of the basics.

“We had no visual aids, no library, no lunchroom nor any of the frills of today’s education system,” she said in her memoirs.

[stextbox id=”info” caption=”Burnett’s Drug Store prices in 1930s (as told by Zela Boozer)” collapsing=”false” float=”true” align=”right” width=”250″]

Coke – 6 cents

Candy bar – 5 cents

[/stextbox]

Boozer described using a hectograph, a device with a Jello-like substance. She said she would make a carbon copy with a special pen, place it on top of the “jelly” for a few minutes and then peel off about 30 copies of the worksheet or picture. Like teachers today who buy classroom supplies with their own money, Boozer sacrificed, too.

“I could not afford to buy very much of the necessary paper, but I usually did at least two pictures for them to color each week. That was a real treat for the children,” she said.

Families often invited teachers into their homes for a meal, and Boozer remembered the excellent food she had at the Kleckley home.

“Mrs. Alma … was a cook from back yonder. Everything was delicious,” she said.

Boozer remained at Oak Grove for five years – one year having 52 kids in her classroom — until she took a few years off to have her sons Johnny and Tom. She returned to teaching in 1941 and taught at several Lexington schools until she retired in 1977.

“We did not stress creativity as is done now. We might not have produced many artists, but we turned out some mighty fine students who went on to make their mark in their community and other … places,” she said.

Nichols and Derrick said Boozer did inspire them to become teachers. Nichols said they would play school on her porch with old textbooks she gave them.

“She loved being a teacher, and she was a good one,” Derrick said.

https://youtu.be/_J3DjhNePV4

1974 to 2016: Excellence and advancement

Zela Boozer likely would be amazed to see the resources at the fingertips of Oak Grove students if she walked into the school now. Technology designed to get kids thinking is tailored for students from kindergarten on up, and they have access to it from nearly the moment the bus drops them off at school.

Students also have all sorts of materials, from glitter glue to batteries and wires for science and art projects. Libraries are filled to bursting with books and DVDs, and many classrooms even have class pets.

Cariens has been a part of the school’s history just as it’s been a part of hers. She began her career at Oak Grove in 1976 as a math teacher and returned in 2010 as principal.

“I wish we could go back in time and talk to the people who built (the first school),” she said.

The first families might be thrilled to learn what their one-room schoolhouse has become. Oak Grove Elementary was named a Palmetto’s Finest School last year, earned Lighthouse leadership status in 2014 and was a National Blue Ribbon School in 2012.

Despite the awards rolling in and kids surrounded by the latest iPads, Cariens says she thinks Oak Grove has stayed true to its “community school” roots. The school still sits on a two-lane road, not a major highway, and many students walk or ride their bikes from the nearby neighborhoods.

“Our culture … is friendly and inviting and feels like home,” Cariens said.

Nichols agreed Lexington County teachers have not forgotten the important subjects that 2016’s students need just like 1815’s.

“We still teach that work ethic and effort … kindness and respect … are important,” she said.

A situation is underway on Pocosin Road in the Oakgrove community of Dillon County on June 23, 2023, involving a man who barricaded himself inside a home after deputies showed up for a civil matter, according to Dillon County Sheriff Douglas Pernell. (Credit: Jordan Brotherton/WPDE)

DILLON COUNTY, S.C. (WPDE) — UPDATE: Barricaded man accused of resisting arrest, endangering child in Dillon Co. standoff

A situation is underway on Pocosin Road in the Oakgrove community of Dillon County Friday afternoon involving a man who barricaded himself inside a home after deputies showed up for a civil matter, according to Dillon County Sheriff Douglas Pernell.

Pernell said it's believed that the man is armed.

South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) is at the scene.

A community member said the man came out with a gun and told deputies they would have to come inside to get him.

A man believed to be the person barricaded inside the home sent a message to ABC 15's Tonya Brown via Facebook.

He said, "I did not come out with a gun I haven't stepped foot outside over this illegal eviction."

He then commented saying the judicial system is crooked.

He said, "i didn't get a prior 30 day eviction. the cops scared my child. i'm sick of getting screwed over."

ABC 15 has made authorities aware of the message from the man.

His family member reached out to him as well saying she's worried and that he's been through a lot in recent weeks.

TRENDING: 1 dead in I-95 incidents that slowed Thursday commute in Dillon, Florence counties

SLED agents are using a robot to canvass around the home.

It's not clear what the specific role of the robot is in this situation.

Deputies have talked with the man barricaded inside the home over a loudspeaker. They're encouraging him to come out.

Several armored vehicles are on the scene.

The man's relative said he has his little girl inside the home.

Dillon County Chief Deputy Jamie Hamilton said he can't confirm if a child is in the home.

However, ABC 15's cameras caught a man walking back into the home holding a small child.

Deputies have shut down Pocosin Road at Highway 38 until the situation is resolved.

Officers aren't allowing anyone through at this time.

One woman said she came to the scene to talk with the man inside the home.

She said she knows him and believes he may come out if she can just talk with him.

Deputies told the woman she had to stay back for safety reasons.

You're asked to avoid Pocosin Road at Highway 34 for the time being.

ABC 15 will keep you updated on what happens.

A goldfish weighing nine pounds came under the spotlight Monday after being discovered during a fish population survey at a lake in South Carolina, park officials said.

Ty Houck, an official with Greenville County Parks, said the “massive” fish was found swimming on Nov. 16 in a 12-acre body of water in Oak Grove Lake Park in the county of Greenville.

Greenville Rec, which oversees the park where the fish was discovered, posted a photo of the golden spectacle on Facebook on Monday.

“Anyone missing their goldfish? This 9lb goldfish was found in Oak Grove Lake during some recent testing at our lakes,” the organization wrote in a post. “The work included electrofishing, a method of measuring the health of the fish population.”

Wildlife officials were conducting a fish population survey analogous to a “fish sticking its finger, or fin, in a socket,” Houck said. “A weak electrical current is run through the water and stuns them for a few minutes.”

Houck said he believes the giant goldfish is the only one swimming in the lake because park officials did not encounter any others in their survey.

He added that while the goldfish is non-native to South Carolina, it was not considered an invasive species to the lake.

The average lifespan of goldfish is between six to seven years, while those found in the wild can live up to 30 years, according to the United States Geological Survey.

According to the agency, goldfish can grow upwards of six pounds — far below the weight of the nine pound pond fish found in South Carolina.

As for the goldfish's current whereabouts, Houck said he placed the fish back in the water after snapping a photo of the large creature.

“At the advice of professionals we decided to leave the bachelor, or bachelorette, back where we found it,” Houck said. “Obviously, they’re really happy here.”

Wilson Wong

Wilson Wong is a culture and trends reporter for NBC News Digital.

The long-awaited Powderhouse Connector could soon become a reality.

The city of Aiken could "bid out" a contract to construct the first phase of Powderhouse Connector in February, City Manager Stuart Bedenbaugh told the Aiken City Council on Oct. 23.

The Powderhouse Connector is a route planned to connect Whiskey Road and Powderhouse Road on Aiken's Southside. The plan calls for creating a limited access roadway like Hitchcock Parkway that will connect with Whiskey Road at East Gate Drive and Oak Grove Road and with Powderhouse Road near its intersection with Old Powderhouse Road.

Bedenbaugh said Whiskey Road between East Pine Log Road and Powderhouse Road is some of the most heavily traveled roadway within the county.

A recent traffic study shows Whiskey Road between East Gate Drive and Dougherty Road is 24 percent overcapacity.

"This will help tremendously with that," Bedenbugh added. "Even with proposed developments of up to 1,500-1,600 units, [the Powderhouse Connector] will reduce traffic by 20-24 percent. Those traffic reductions on Whiskey Road take into account development that could occur [from East Gate to Powderhouse]."

The city plans to split the Powderhouse Connector into two phases, Bedenbaugh said.

The first phase includes an extension of Centennial Avenue, a street running between Ahh Sunshine printing and the AECOM building behind South Aiken High School. Oak Grove Road would also be extended and expanded to meet the extended Centennial Avenue at a traffic circle.

The first phase is estimated to cost $14.67 million.

The funding sources are the South Carolina Transportation Infrastructure Bank at $9.01 million, the 1 percent county-wide Capital Project Sales Tax at $5.03 million and the County Transportation Committee at $621,000.

The second phase includes extending the expanded Oak Grove Road from the traffic circle to Powderhouse Road.

This phase is estimated to cost $23.7 million.

Funding sources include the transportation infrastructure bank at $11.83 million, $8 million from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, capital project sales tax proceeds at $3.05 million and interest allocations from the sales tax at $816,645.

The city council voted unanimously Oct. 23 to approve a resolution authorizing an agreement with the transportation infrastructure bank. Councilwoman Lessie Price made the motion to approve the resolution. Mayor Pro Tempore Ed Woltz seconded his motion.

"That seals our funding commitment from the state of almost $21 million," Bedenbaugh said.

Also, on Oct. 23, city council voted unanimously to approve a resolution authorizing the acquisition of the final piece of property needed for the first phase of the connector. Councilman Ed Girardeau made the motion to approve the resolution. Councilwoman Kay Brohl seconded his motion.

The resolution calls for the city to pay $177,206 from the funds budgeted for the project to purchase 0.12 acres on west and north sides of the Cracker Barrel lot — the restaurant would not be affected — for a turn lane from Whiskey Road onto East Gate Drive.

An appraisal conducted in May showed 0.08 acres to be valued at over $66,000, but Bedenbaugh noted that the property owner strongly disagreed with it and condemnation would take additional time and result in legal fees.

Bedenbaugh said the plans for the Powderhouse Connector were developed around 2006.

But, at some point, the plans were shelved.

Aiken Mayor Rick Osbon said recently he pulled the plans off a shelf in former Mayor Fred Cavanaugh's office after he was elected in 2015.

The following Oak Grove Elementary students made honor roll for the fourth nine weeks of the 2011-2012 school year.

ALL A’s

Third grade: Brandon Bell, Damien Benner, Cooper Dotson, Leta Dotson, E.J. Dunn, Mukeh Foh, Dominic Gilstrap-Ferriole, Desmond Griffin, MaKayla Hinzman, Dylan Johnson, Callie Lohr, Alexander Lyon, Samantha Mancuso, Esmeralda Manilla, Adam Matthews, Joshua Mount, Elissa Myers, Perry-Jayne Ricard, Zoe Robison, Nora Seigler, Treston Spires, Caitlyn Stockman, Christina Thompson, Courtland Washington, Michael Welborn, Kyndal Whitley and Kailee Wise

Fourth grade: Kaitlyn Berger, Christopher Endrenyi, Emily Linder, Kaitlyn Martin, Kathryne Matsui, Isabelle Mount, Fernando Pilero, Simon Vu-Ho and Hannah Williamson

Fifth grade: Kathleen Bonham, Bailey Campbell, Anna Grace Christensen, Reece Fields, Alexandria Goad, Margaret Hodgkiss, Stone Hughes, Jasmine Jeffcoat, Eliza Gail Johnson, Alyssa Laughlan, Christina Lin, Abigail Montgomery, Bethany Morris, Kayla Oswell, Nathan Seigler, Rebecca Sharpe and Russell Wingard

Find out what's happening in Lexingtonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A/B HONOR ROLL

Third grade: Reagan Alewine, Bennett Bearden, Matthew Bradley, Emma Brannon, Sonjaa Brazell, Grant Broome, Jenna Brunson, Rylee Bullard, Jackson Claflin, Kenneth Claspill, Jared Collins-Hale, Jade Covington, Jayden Covington, Jeffrey Duncan, Draven Foster, Christopher Frazee, Uriah Goodwin, Kayleigh Harmon, Felicity Harris, Aliana Henderson, Carmen Hernandez, Jacob Himes, Myles Jenkins, Tucker Kramer, John-Paul Lowrimore, Maximiliano Mariscal, Rafael Martinez-Salazar, Haley McDaniel, William McMickens, Isabella Murray, Kaela Opsahl, Caleb Paris, Ashlyn Poole, Riley Przybyszewski, Bryan Redfern, Lindsey Rikard, Kiersten Roberts, Emmanuel Rodriguez, Angie Sanchez, Dylan Schaufler, Charles Schofield, Joanne Sison, Landon Smith, Dalton Thompson, Whitney Way and Caroline Workman

Fourth grade: Daniel Baker, Jennifer Barcelata, Jordan Beaulieu, Zachary Blakely, Skyler Brown, Daniel Buff, Maya Cevallos, Brendan Cope, Cynthia Cordova, Bailey Derrick, Sawyer DuBose, Emily Heath, Aidan Henderson, Olivia Herod, Chloe Hooker, Joshua Hymes, Chelsea Jeffcoat, Farrah Kirby, Mason Lambert, Tanasia Lee, Cade Looker, Michael Mancuso, Abel Manilla, Hayden Marthers, Gracie May, Kenlee McLean, Rachel Murphy, Karely Ojeda, Amina Omerbasic, Jaylan Pittman, Bryanna Redfern, JaRon Riddick, Brianna Robinson, Taylor Smith, Taylor Sprouse, Mary Stephens, Christopher Thompson and Alex Urban

Fifth grade: Ajarae Allen, Katherine Aull, Alex Avila, Marlene Barefoot, Saul Cervantes, Ashton Clonts, Shelby Cotton, Michael Defiori, Victoria Dorsey, Jessie Fowler, Austin Greer, Bryan Haynesworth, Ashton Henderson, Cheyenne Jones, Hannah Killian, Nicholas Kornemann, Cohen Lindler, Jennifer Lopez, Andrea Lyon, Taylor Martin, Braeden Marzitelli, Audrey Matthews, Lily Morris, Wyatt Mount, Donald Parker, Zachary Reinhart, DJour Richardson, Haylee Rikard, Doris Rivera, Cody Sanderson, Jacob Scott, Alyssa Shealy, Devin Spires, Dustyn Stammire, Precauciunna Sullivan, Kayla Thompson, Cierra Turner, Joanna Wenger, Lenora Wilkerson, Libby Williams and Briannah Workman