Sol Legare School on James Island and Scanlonville Cemetery in Mount Pleasant are now on the National Register of Historic Places. The project behind them won a state planning award.

Two historic Black community sites near Charleston are now on the National Register of Historic Places. One is the Sol Legare School on James Island. The other is Scanlonville Cemetery in Mount Pleasant, across the Cooper River.

The project that helped residents prepare the listings has also won a state planning award. The City of Charleston announced both on Monday.

The two sites

Sol Legare School, listed Sept. 14. It was built in 1948 on James Island. The city said it is one of the few remaining schools built for Black children there before integration. It later served as a vocational school and a community health site. It is now the community center.

Scanlonville Cemetery, listed Sept. 18. It was established by 1870 in Scanlonville, a Black farming settlement founded in 1868. It holds an estimated 600 to 2,000 burials. The city called it “the most tangible surviving link to the community’s Reconstruction-era origins.”

BVL Historic Preservation Research prepared both nominations. Historic Charleston Foundation helped pay for the school’s, and the Preservation Society of Charleston helped pay for the cemetery’s.

“For this historical African American school, it is a great achievement to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and it is long overdue,” said Bill “Cubby” Wilder of the Concerned Citizens of Sol Legare Community Foundation.

Edward Lee of the East Cooper Civic Club called the cemetery’s listing “a long-awaited recognition of the souls and spirits of the ancestors.”

The award

The Gullah Geechee Heritage Preservation Project won the Outstanding Planning Project award in the multi-jurisdictional category. The award comes from the South Carolina Chapter of the American Planning Association.

The project was paid for with:

  • a $75,000 grant from the National Park Service’s Historic Preservation Fund
  • $25,000 from the City of Charleston
  • $10,000 from the Preservation Society of Charleston

The city said it helped 23 communities and individuals across Charleston County lead their own preservation work. It offered technical help, partnerships and a peer network. The communities taking part included Ten Mile, Phillips, Hamlin Beach, Liberty Hill, Lincolnville, Maryville-Ashleyville and Sol Legare.

The city, Charleston County, the town of Mount Pleasant, the Preservation Society, the College of Charleston and the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor led the project together.

Michael Allen, a retired National Park Service official, is its technical advisor. He called the listings “a major milestone in the effort to preserve, protect and sustain Historic Gullah Geechee Settlement communities around Charleston County.”

What comes next

The project set up two efforts that will continue:

  • Community Assistance Resource Program: a partnership with the College of Charleston and the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor that will keep offering technical help to communities running their own preservation work
  • A quarterly “community of practice”: planners and community advocates meeting to share lessons on planning in the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor

What it means for you

A National Register listing is the federal government’s official recognition of a place’s history. Both sites are now part of that record, kept by the National Park Service.

If your community group wants help documenting a historic settlement, the Community Assistance Resource Program is the route the city named. The city’s announcement lists the partners running it.

For more on the city’s history and landmarks, see our things to do in Charleston page.

Frequently asked questions

When was Sol Legare School added to the National Register of Historic Places?

The City of Charleston said the Sol Legare School on James Island was listed on Sept. 14, 2026. It was built in 1948 and is now the community center.

What is Scanlonville Cemetery?

Scanlonville Cemetery in Mount Pleasant was established by 1870 in Scanlonville, a Black farming settlement founded in 1868. The city said it holds an estimated 600 to 2,000 burials. It was listed on the National Register on Sept. 18, 2026.

What is the Gullah Geechee Heritage Preservation Project?

A project funded by a $75,000 National Park Service grant, with $25,000 from the City of Charleston and $10,000 from the Preservation Society of Charleston. It helped 23 communities and individuals across Charleston County lead their own preservation work.