BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. – The Wassamasaw Tribe of Varnertown Indians wants the name of a future school under construction in Carnes Crossroads to reflect its rich heritage.
The Berkeley County School District will open a new K-8 school in the Carnes Crossroads area in fall 2023. In the meantime, it has launched a survey to seek input from the community through April 22 as to what the school should be called. [The link to the survey is here]
Tribe members are encouraging the public to fill out the online survey but suggest a name that honors their rich, distinct legacy.
“Since this school will be in the heart of the Wassamasaw Tribe of Varnertown Indian community, we think it is extremely important that Berkeley County acknowledges in some way the Native Settlement Tribe that has existed in this area since the 1700’s,” the tribe recently posted to its official Facebook page.
According to the state-recognized tribe, the Varner Indian School that most of their family attended more than 60 years ago would have been located less than a mile away from the future school’s location.
The South Carolina Board of Education originally established the state-funded Indian school for the Varner Town Indian community in 1939. This one-room school was closed by the state in 1963, forcing integration by its students into the public school system.
“To honor the tribe and our ancestors, we would like you to recommend that name of this new school be called Wassamasaw Elementary School,” the tribe said.
The Wassamasaw Tribe of Varnertown Indians is composed of Native Americans that were originally located in the St. John’s Berkeley and St. James Goose Creek Parish. The tribe’s lineage includes Etiwan, Catawba, Edisto, and Cherokee progenitors. It is one of the first tribes to receive state recognition in 2005.
The elementary school at Carnes Crossroads will be located near Hwy. 176 and across from Roper St. Francis Berkeley Hospital.
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