The Dean Street School was built in the 1890s in the heart of the middle-class Black neighborhood that developed around Dean Street. Originally a white wooden school, the brick was added to the facade in the 1930s.
The school was named the Alexander School after the long-serving principal, R. M. Alexander, who was in that role from 1895 to 1929. It served as the school for Black schoolchildren until the 1960s when Spartanburg schools finally began integrating.
In 1990, the Epsilon Nu chapter of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity purchased the building. They restored the school, and it is now their local fraternity headquarters.
The Smoak House once served as a boarding house for people who were traveling to Glenn Springs, South Carolina to experience the healing waters of the Glenn Springs. While the Glenn Spring Hotel was more known, the Smoak House provided easy access as it was across the street from the springs. The home was built in 1890. Based on ads, it doesn’t seem to have become a boarding house around 1910.
Undated imageSeptember 6, 1914 advertisement in The StateMay 7, 1922 advertisement in The State
The McWhirter House was designed by prominent architect Joseph Cunningham from Greenville, South Carolina. Built in 1909 for Mrs. Hattie Fripp McWhirter, this neo-classical home was the residence of the McWhirter family, who were influential in Jonesville. The McWhirters owned several stores and business ventures in town. Initially, they were managed by James McWhirter, but he died in 1906. The sons took over the family businesses and continued their father’s legacy.
It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.
Interior photos can be viewed on the South Carolina Department of Archives & History website.
This Victorian home originally served as the Methodist parsonage. It eventually was purchased by the McNinch family who lived in the home until the late 1990s. The home is currently vacant.
