The Richland–Jones Heritage Corridor seeks designation as a Local Landmark District for its exceptional ability to interpret the intertwined history of African-American enterprise, education, civic life, and remembrance in Greenville, South Carolina.

Stretching roughly a quarter mile along North Church Street, the corridor unites Richland Cemetery (1884)—Greenville’s first municipal burial ground for African-American citizens—and the Jones Sisters’ homeplace at 920–922 N Church Street, historically known as Richland Hill.

“The land surrounding the cemetery was known locally as Richland Hill; residences of African Americans were clustered along Church Street immediately west of the cemetery.”
— National Park Service, NRHP Nomination Form: Richland Cemetery (1980, Section 7)

This statement, corroborated by nineteenth-century deeds and Sanborn Maps, confirms that the Jones Sisters’ residence occupied the ridge directly west of Richland Cemetery—the same ground where 920–922 N Church Street stands today.

Sources

National Park Service. (1980). National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: Richland Cemetery (Greenville County, SC). Section 7, pp. 1–2.
Greenville County Register of Deeds. (1877–1902). Deed Books FF, PP, QQ & Index Vols K–L. Greenville County Archives.
Sanborn Map Company. (1894 & 1902). Greenville, South Carolina [Fire Insurance Maps]. Library of Congress.

Historic Anchors within the Corridor

1. Richland Cemetery (1884, NRHP-listed) — Historic resting place and memorial core, gifted by Elizabeth E. and Emmala B. Jones to the City of Greenville.
   
   

2. Allen School (1936 – c. 1970s) — WPA-era K–8 school serving Black children of North Greenville until desegregation.
   
   

3. E Stone Avenue Black Business Corridor (1930s – present) — Historic commercial spine once lined with Black-owned cafés, salons, and groceries; includes the continuing Stone Avenue Barber Shop (512 E Stone Ave).
   
   

4. Richland Hill Ridge (920–922 N Church St) — The Jones homeplace and adjacent terraces, historically occupied by educators, municipal workers, and civic families who maintained nearby schools and public grounds.

5. 798 E Stone Avenue (c. 1951) — Former Richland Cemetery Tool Shed. A one-story brick structure beside the Fern Street gate of Richland Cemetery. It will be restored and adapted as Bot’s Place, a Legacy Lab where residents and youth preserve community memory through storytelling, art, and digital archiving—celebrating educators, families, and civic leaders whose lives shaped Greenville’s Black cultural heritage.

Together these anchors create a continuous cultural landscape where African-American residents lived, worked, and memorialized their community for over 140 years.

Legacy and Continuity

Mildred Louise Johnson Leatherwood Wolfe (1925–2024) embodied that continuity. Born in Greenville’s West End, she walked daily down Stone Avenue and Cemetery Street to attend Allen School—within view of the Jones Sisters’ hill and the cemetery they founded. She was laid to rest in Richland Cemetery, closing a generational circle of learning and remembrance.

Following the demolition of Allen School (2016) and the loss of cemetery records to fire, Leatherwood Matters created Bot’s Place Terrace on the Jones ridge as a space of public reflection and youth education, continuing the lineage of service and community stewardship.

Sources
Leatherwood Matters Archives. (2024). Founding Statement for Bot’s Place Terrace. Greenville, SC.
Greenville News. (2024, Mar 3). “Educator and Community Leader Mildred Wolfe Remembered.” p. A5.

Purpose and Scope

This nomination seeks to recognize, preserve, and interpret the Richland–Jones Heritage Corridor as a unified cultural landscape of perseverance and public contribution.
It is one of Greenville’s few surviving micro-geographies where African-American education, enterprise, and remembrance coexisted within a compact, walkable environment.

Proposed Designation Scope 

The proposed Local Landmark designation applies to 798 E Stone Avenue (c. 1951), a one-story brick structure originally constructed as a Richland Cemetery maintenance and tool shed adjacent to the Fern Street entrance. The building represents a rare surviving example of mid-20th-century municipal infrastructure supporting African-American public burial grounds during segregation.

Following restoration and adaptive reuse, the structure is intended to function as Bot’s Place, a community-based heritage and interpretation site dedicated to preserving local memory through storytelling, art, and digital archiving. Programming will highlight the lives of educators, families, and civic leaders whose contributions shaped Greenville’s African-American cultural landscape.

While only this parcel is proposed for formal landmark designation, the nomination explicitly recognizes the building’s visual, spatial, and cultural continuity with Richland Cemetery, the Richland Hill neighborhood, the former Allen School site, and the East Stone Avenue Black Business Corridor. Together, these interconnected sites represent more than a century of African-American endurance, civic labor, education, and innovation in Greenville.

Sources: Greenville County GIS Division (2024); City of Greenville Planning Department, Historic Resources Survey Methodology Guide (2025).

Interpretive Vision

The project integrates public interpretation and education through:

• On-site signage and QR-linked wayfinding; 

• Augmented-reality walking tours;

• Oral-history and youth docent programs; and

• Partnerships with Furman University, Greenville Technical College, and AmeriCorps fellows.
  
  

These initiatives will transform the ridge and adjoining landscape into an interactive public classroom, celebrating art, education, and remembrance as inseparable foundations of Greenville’s Black cultural legacy.

Outcome

Designation of the Richland–Jones Heritage Corridor will secure permanent recognition for the Jones Sisters’ home tract and its surrounding landscape, ensuring that future generations can study, visit, and contribute to this living record of Greenville’s African-American resilience and civic vision.

1 

Property Holdings of Elizabeth & Emmala Jones (1880–1900)

Early deed, parcel, and mapping of Jones family land holdings adjoining Richland Cemetery.

2

Richland Cemetery Boundary Encroachment & Acreage Summary

Comparative study of plat and GIS records confirming ~6.07-acre footprint.

I. Overview

Established in 1884 through the Jones sisters’ deed of approximately six acres east of North Church Street, Richland Cemetery remains one of Greenville’s earliest municipally owned African-American burial grounds. Historic plats and city records confirm the original tract measured ≈ 6.07 acres, bounded by Cemetery Street (now Hilly Street) on the west and open farmland to the east. Over time, grading, infrastructure projects, and road realignments have subtly reshaped its edges.

The 1884 deed conveys approximately six acres using road-based and adjacent-land references typical of the period, rather than fixed surveyed monuments. 

Sources: Greenville County Deed Book KK p. 362 (1884); National Register Nomination – Richland Cemetery (1980); City of Greenville Engineering Maps (1925, 1958).

II. Modern Acreage & Measured Boundaries

Recent GIS measurement (2021 series) defines the cemetery parcel as 6.07 acres / ≈ 1,569 linear ft perimeter. Comparison with the 1884 plat and 1955 aerial imagery reveals a 50-foot offset at the northwest corner, adjacent to the cell-tower easement along Hilly Street. Councilmember David C. Mitchell has noted the likelihood that early burials extended slightly beyond today’s fenced line toward the cell-tower area and former Parks & Recreation service yard.

Measurement Parameter

Total Acreage

Recorded Value

6.07acres

Reference Source 

City of Greenville GIS (2021)

Measurement Parameter

Perimeter          

Recorded Value

≈ 1,569 linear ft

Reference Source

Greenville County Tax Map 0039.00

Measurement Parameter

Offset to Cell-Tower Easement          

Recorded Value

≈ 50ft (NW corner)

Reference Source

Field Measurement 2024 / Historic Aerials 1955

Sources: City of Greenville GIS Layer (2021); Greenville County Tax Map 0039.00; Mitchell, D. C., interview (2023); Greenville News “Restoring Richland Cemetery,” Mar 2023.

III. Evidence of Probable Encroachment

Historic aerial imagery from 1955 and 1976 indicates vegetation clearing and grading activity immediately west of the cemetery’s current fence line along Hilly Street. This activity predates installation of the existing cell-tower service easement and suggests that portions of land historically used for burial purposes extended beyond the present fenced boundary.

Field surveys conducted near the cemetery’s northern edge document displaced headstones, unmarked ground depressions, and soil disturbances consistent with former burial plots. When overlaid with modern GIS data, these features correspond with an approximately 50-foot offset at the northwest corner of the cemetery parcel, adjacent to the cell-tower easement and former Parks & Recreation service yard.

Taken together, historic plats, aerial imagery, and physical site conditions support community concerns that a narrow strip of historic burial ground may now lie beneath or adjacent to modern utility and service easements, despite the cemetery’s current deeded acreage remaining intact.

Sources: Historic Aerials (1955, 1976); City Public Works Site Survey File #C-11-72 (1972); Greenville Parks & Recreation Maintenance Logs (1980s).

IV. Maintenance & Stewardship

Day-to-day care is provided by the City of Greenville Parks and Recreation Department, which oversees mowing, fencing, and signage. Volunteer stewards—often descendants and local church members—maintain floral markers and genealogical documentation lost after the record-storage fire of the 1940s. This shared model sustains Richland Cemetery as both a municipally maintained and community-preserved heritage site.

Sources: Greenville Parks & Recreation Records (2022); Richland Cemetery Friends Volunteer Notes (2018–2024); Greenville County Council Meeting Minutes (May 2023).

V. Interpretation & Significance

The evolving boundary of Richland Cemetery mirrors the story of African-American land tenure in Greenville—expanded by community gift, compressed by urban development, yet continually reclaimed through collective stewardship. The present 6.07-acre tract preserves both the physical and symbolic heart of the Jones sisters’ original intent.

VI. Illustration 

 Figure A — Historic Aerial, 1955

Technical / Exhibit Caption

Figure A. Richland Cemetery and Church Street Corridor, 1955.
Historic aerial imagery showing Richland Cemetery prior to mid-20th-century infrastructure realignment. The cemetery footprint appears less formally defined, with vegetation and open land extending beyond the present fence line, particularly along Cemetery Street (now Hilly Street). Surrounding development is sparse, reflecting early residential and service uses associated with the cemetery.

Source: Historic Aerials, 1955 frame.

Figure B — Historic Aerial, 1976

Technical / Exhibit Caption

Figure B. Richland Cemetery and Hilly Street Corridor, 1976.
Aerial imagery illustrating changes following street realignment, grading, and adjacent municipal development. The alignment of Hilly Street appears straighter and more defined than in 1955, with visible clearing and disturbance west of the cemetery’s current boundary. These changes coincide with the period of expanding infrastructure and utility easements.

Source: Historic Aerials, 1976 frame.

3

Richland Hill Ridge Context Map

Illustrates ridge line, street alignment, and residential topography of the historic Richland Hill area.

4

Stairways of Richland Hill (920 N Church Street)

Field study of remaining stone stairs and slopes connecting Hilly Street to cemetery grade.

I. Overview

The concrete stairway at 920 N Church Street represents the last surviving access route from the Church Street corridor up the steep western slope of Richland Hill. Constructed between 1945 and 1950, the stairway served two adjacent dwellings—920 and 922 N Church Street—that faced east toward Richland Cemetery. Its durable cast-in-place steps and hand-poured sidewalls typify mid-century residential construction adapted to Greenville’s hilly topography.

Sources: Historic Aerials (1955, 1976); City Engineering Contours (1958); Greenville County Building Permits Archive (1949 Series).

II. Historical Context

During the 1940s–1960s, small one-story cottages lined the west edge of Richland Hill, their entrances oriented to Cemetery (Hilly) Street and rear access provided by concrete steps descending to Church Street. The stairways allowed householders direct foot access to downtown and public transit, linking the residential ridge to the Church Street commercial corridor. By 1978, demolition of the houses for redevelopment left only the stairs embedded in the hillside—now a rare remnant of the community’s spatial organization.

Sources: City of Greenville Archives — Urban Renewal–Era Planning Photographs (c. 1970s); City of Greenville Planning Department, historic zoning and land-use maps (c. 1970s), compared with current zoning atlas; Richland Cemetery Friends — Community Oral History Interviews (2021), unpublished. 

III. Architectural Description­

The surviving stairway contains eleven riser steps, approximately four-inch riser height, and side concrete walls cast directly against the slope. Aggregate exposure indicates hand-mixed sand and gravel consistent with 1940s municipal standards. No iron railing survives, but wall sockets show that one was once attached. Despite age and erosion, the stair alignment remains true and continues to illustrate how the residential ridge was physically navigated.

Sources: Site Survey (2024); Greenville Public Works Field Notebook #11 (1950).

IV. Interpretive Summary

The 920 N Church Street stairway is more than a fragment of concrete it is a surviving path between the homes, the church corridor, and the sacred ground of Richland Cemetery. It materializes the everyday routes through which Black families lived, worked, and honored their dead along the Richland Hill ridge.

V. Illustration Placeholder

(Insert paired images: 1955 aerial showing 920–922 footprints and contemporary photograph of existing stairway; label “Richland Hill Stairway Remnant — Church Street to Cemetery Ridge.”)

5

Stone Avenue Corridor — Commerce & Continuity Timeline (1930–Present) 

Chronological review of Stone Avenue’s commercial corridor and Black-owned trades.

6

Context & Recent History (Allen School Demolition & Redevelopment)

Historic context and demolition record of Allen School with procedural preservation analysis.

7

Richland Cemetery — Historic & Stewardship Timeline (1884–Present)

Full historic chronology, stewardship lineage, and interpretive summary of Richland Cemetery.

8

1951 Cemetery Maintenance Building — 798 E Stone Avenue

Post-war civic infrastructure analysis.

➤ 1930s – Early Development

East Stone Avenue emerges as a mixed-use connector linking downtown Greenville to the Church Street and Richland Cemetery neighborhoods. The block between Column Street and Cemetery Street develops small, locally owned Black-serving shops, homes, and rooming houses.

Sources:
Hill’s Greenville City Directory, 1938–1942 (street listings show residential and “col.” designations along east Stone Ave near Cemetery St.);  - Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, 1939 (first map to show small frame dwellings along this block); Greenville County GIS parcel overlay (lot depths ~150 ft confirming mixed-use form)

➤ 1940s – Neighborhood Commerce Grows

Post-war expansion brings beauty parlors, cafés, and groceries that serve Allen School families and Richland Cemetery visitors. Typical lot pattern: 50-foot frontage, 150-foot depth with a residence or shop in front and garden or dwelling behind.

Sources:

Hill’s Greenville City Directory, 1946 & 1948 (adds “beauty,” “restaurant,” and “grocery” uses in this segment);  - Historic Aerials 1949 (NETR) showing new storefront footprints east of Column St.;  Greenville Planning Dept. zoning overlay (R-2 → B-1 mixed commercial transition, post-WWII)

➤ 1952 – 1956 – Peak Activity

City directories list a lively cluster:
504 E Stone Ave — Allen’s Beauty Nook (Colored)
508 E Stone Ave — Willie Mae’s Café
510 E Stone Ave — Jenkins Grocery (Store fronted by residence; proprietor possibly Jenkins family)
512 E Stone Ave — Stone Avenue Barber Shop (still operating today)
These four buildings form a small Black-enterprise corridor at the northern edge of the Richland Cemetery community.

Sources:

Hill’s Greenville City Directory, 1952, 1954, 1956 (editions list all four businesses under “E Stone Ave”);  Sanborn Map, 1956 revision — four discrete masonry/frame commercial structures in these parcels;  Historic Aerials, 1955 — confirms larger footprints east of current barber shop;  Greenville Cultural Exchange Center oral-history transcripts (2003) referencing “the café by the cemetery” and “Jenkins’ store on Stone Ave.”

➤ 1960s – Pressure from Road Projects

Plans to widen U.S. 29 and modernize Stone Avenue trigger property buyouts. By 1964 most structures east of Column Street are vacant or slated for removal.

Sources:

Hill’s Greenville City Directory, 1964 — addresses 504–510 E Stone listed as “(vacant)”;  City of Greenville Engineering Dept., U.S. 29 Widening Plan Sheets (1963–1965);  Greenville News archives, June 15 1965, article “Widening of Stone Avenue Slated to Begin.”

➤ 1970s – Corridor Clearance

Urban-renewal demolition (1973–1978) removes the larger mixed-use buildings. Only the Stone Avenue Barber Shop (512 E Stone Ave) remains intact.

Sources:
City of Greenville Planning Dept., Stone Avenue Corridor Plan (1981) – notes “removal of sub-standard mixed-use structures east of Column Street.”;  Historic Aerials, 1976 – shows clearance with only one small building remaining;  Greenville County Tax Roll abstracts (parcel consolidation 1974–1977).

➤ 1980s – 2000s – Survival & Transition

The barber shop continues serving neighborhood patrons as adjacent parcels become parking lots or small offices. It endures as one of Greenville’s longest-operating barbershops on its original site.

Sources:
Hill’s Greenville City Directory, 1982 and 1987 – lists Stone Avenue Barber Shop still active;  Greenville County property card (Parcel #0039030100800) – continuous use as “Barber/Beauty Service.”;  Interviews with long-time patrons, Greenville Cultural Exchange Center oral histories (2000s).

➤ Present Day

512 E Stone Ave stands as the sole surviving mid-century Black business structure between downtown and Richland Cemetery. It anchors the “enterprise” node of the emerging Richland Cemetery Heritage Corridor, linking economic self-help with educational and cultural history.

Sources:

Greenville County GIS (2024 parcel view) – single extant 1950s masonry structure on block. Field observation (2025);  WYFF News 4, Mar 2016 coverage of redevelopment and nearby heritage losses.

Interpretive Summary

The Stone Avenue Corridor formed the daily-life and economic backbone of the Richland–Bot’s Place Heritage Corridor. Alongside Allen School and Richland Cemetery, it created a self-sustaining environment where Greenville’s African-American families could learn, work, and honor their ancestors within walking distance of one another. The survival of the Stone Avenue Barber Shop — the last operating business from that era — provides a tangible link to the community’s history of resilience, mutual aid, and self-determination.

Sources: Greenville Cultural Exchange Center Oral History Collection (2000s); Hill’s Greenville City Directory (1938–1987); City of Greenville Planning Archives (1981 Corridor Plan).

ILLUSTRATION

Together, Figures 5A–5D illustrate the contraction of the Stone Avenue Black business corridor from a dense mid-century commercial strip to a single surviving business. 

Exhibit 6 — Context & Recent History

Allen School Demolition & Redevelopment (1936–Present)

Only public school for African American kids grades K-8

1936-1970ish In use 

1970-2015 Vacant

2016 Demolished

I. Historical Overview (1936–1970)

Allen School was constructed in 1936 under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) as a public school for African-American students during segregation. Located along the Richland Hill ridge between East Stone Avenue and Richland Cemetery, the school occupied a central position within a self-contained Black civic landscape that included residences, churches, neighborhood businesses, and burial grounds. Allen School later transitioned into a junior high before closing in 1970 following desegregation and district consolidation.

For more than four decades, the building served as a cornerstone of education, community identity, and upward mobility for Black families living along the Church Street–Stone Avenue corridor.

Sources: Greenville County School Board Reports (1936–1970); Hill’s Greenville City Directory (1936–1970); Phyllis Wheatley Center Records (1940s); WPA construction records.

II. Vacancy and Deferred Stewardship (1970–2015)

Following its closure in 1970, Allen School remained vacant for decades. While the structure continued to anchor community memory and neighborhood identity, no comprehensive reuse or preservation plan was implemented. Over time, deferred maintenance led to deterioration, placing the building at increasing risk despite its architectural and cultural significance as one of Greenville’s few remaining WPA-era African-American school buildings.

By the early 2000s, Allen School stood as a rare but vulnerable remnant of segregated-era public education within the rapidly changing Church Street corridor.

Sources: Greenville County School Board Records; Community photographs (c. 2000s); Greenville Cultural Exchange Center Oral Histories.

III. Demolition and Land-Swap Transaction (2015–2016)

In September 2015, private owner Chris Shukur sold the Allen School property to JJSC Enterprises LLC, a Fort Lauderdale–based development firm. The City of Greenville facilitated a land-swap agreement that granted JJSC development access at the Allen School site in exchange for the developer’s participation in affordable housing initiatives across multiple neighborhoods, including Mount Eustis, Woodfin, and Elder Streets.

Under the terms of the agreement, JJSC funded and executed demolition, grading, and infrastructure work at the Allen School site—costs estimated between $500,000 and $800,000—which the City credited toward the transaction. Demolition was completed in 2016, resulting in the total loss of the historic school structure.

Sources: Greenville News (2019); WYFF News 4 (2016); Greenville County Register of Deeds, Book 2501 p. 441; City Council Minutes (2016); Planning Commission Records (2015–2016).

IV. Redevelopment Proposals and Policy Context (2019)

In 2019, Deep River South Development proposed the “Church & Stone Townhomes” project, comprising approximately 43 residential units across nearly three acres encompassing the former Allen School footprint. The plan introduced a private internal street (“Allen School Road”), pedestrian connections toward Richland Cemetery, and designated public open space.

As part of the approval process, the City authorized the abandonment of Cemetery Street to integrate the development with surrounding infrastructure, reflecting a policy approach that prioritized infill development while acknowledging the site’s proximity to historic and cultural resources.

Sources: Greenville News (2019); City of Greenville Planning Commission Staff Report (2019); City Council Meeting Records (2019); Greenville GIS Data (2024).

V. Post-Approval Period & Present Condition (2019–2025)

Following approval of the Church & Stone Townhomes redevelopment plan in 2019, the former Allen School site entered an extended period of transition. While site clearance and infrastructure preparations were completed, the proposed residential development was not immediately realized. Between 2019 and 2025, the property has remained vacant, functioning as open land within a rapidly evolving corridor adjoining Richland Cemetery and East Stone Avenue.

This prolonged interim condition reflects broader shifts in market timing, financing priorities, and development sequencing rather than a reversal of policy intent. During this period, the absence of vertical construction has heightened public awareness of the site’s historical significance, particularly as surrounding cultural landmarks—Richland Cemetery, Bot’s Place, and the Stone Avenue Barber Shop—have gained renewed attention through heritage documentation and community-led preservation efforts.

As of 2025, the Allen School site stands as a cleared but unresolved space: physically transformed yet culturally resonant. Its current condition underscores the lasting impact of earlier demolition decisions and reinforces the importance of intentional heritage planning to ensure that remaining historic anchors along the Richland Hill corridor are recognized, interpreted, and preserved.

Sources: Greenville GIS Data (2024–2025); Field observation (2025); City of Greenville Planning Records (2019–2024); Greenville News coverage (2019–2023).

VI. Cultural Continuity and Heritage Impact

The demolition of Allen School marked the loss of one of Greenville’s last intact WPA-era African-American educational buildings. Its removal represents a broader pattern in which Black civic landmarks were displaced through redevelopment rather than preserved or adaptively reused.

Despite this loss, the educational legacy of Allen School endures through its spatial relationship with Richland Cemetery and the Stone Avenue Barber Shop, both of which remain intact and active anchors of the Richland Hill corridor. In parallel, Bot’s Place at 798 E Stone Avenue has emerged as a proposed interpretive and cultural concept, envisioned to extend this legacy by preserving community memory and amplifying public understanding of the site’s educational, spiritual, and civic history.

Together, the cemetery, the surviving Stone Avenue business, and the proposed Bot’s Place framework establish the foundation of an emerging Richland Jones Heritage Corridor, linking education, memory, and economic self-determination across generations through both existing landmarks and future interpretation.

Sources: Richland Cemetery National Register Nomination (1980); Greenville Cultural Exchange Center Oral Histories (2000s); Family Oral Records (2024); Greenville News (2019).

ILLUSTRATIONS

The former Allen School site has remained vacant following demolition and redevelopment approval, highlighting the enduring cultural weight of the site despite the absence of new construction. 

Figures 6A–6F trace the life cycle of Allen School—from New Deal construction and community service to demolition and unresolved redevelopment—within the evolving Richland Hill corridor. 

➤ 1884 — Founding and Deed of Gift

Elizabeth and Emmala Jones, two Greenville businesswomen employed as matrons at the Anne Cigar Company, deeded roughly six acres of land east of North Church Street to the City of Greenville for use as a burial ground for African-American citizens whose churches lacked cemeteries. Their act of generosity recognized  human need in the face of segregation —providing sacred ground for dignity and rest at a time when segregation denied such access.

Sources: Greenville County Deed Book KK p. 362 (1884); City of Greenville Planning Dept. files; National Register of Historic Places Nomination  Richland Cemetery (1980).

➤ 1885 – 1890 — Early Burials and Jones Residences

Tax rolls list “E. Jones” as owning a dwelling and garden on Cemetery Street near Church Street, confirming the sisters’ continued residence beside the cemetery they founded. Earliest marked graves date from 1885–1886.

Sources: Greenville County Tax Roll (Ward 2 Colored, 1885–1890); City Assessment Book (1887); Richland Cemetery Nomination Form (1980).

➤ 1890s – 1910 — Community Formation and Burial Expansion

The cemetery becomes the central burial site for Greenville’s African-American leaders, educators, and clergy. The city maintains ownership while families fence individual plots and erect ornate headstones reflecting the aspirations of a growing Black middle class.

Sources: Hill’s City Directory (1903); Greenville News archives 1898–1908; National Register Nomination (1980).

➤ 1930s – 1940s — “Richland Hill” Settlement and Caretakers

City directories describe a “colored settlement east of Richland Creek known as Richland Hill.” Residents on Cemetery Street (now Hilly St.) maintained the grounds and provided grave-digging, stonework, and floral care.

Sources: City of Greenville Official Website (“Richland Cemetery,” 2024); Hill’s City Directory (1933); Phyllis Wheatley Community Center records.

➤ 1950s– 1960s — Residential Encroachment and Preservation Concerns

Historic aerial photographs (1955 and early 1970s) show houses bordering both Hilly St. and Fern Ave. The slope toward Church St. was steep, so homes faced east toward the cemetery. Allen School students and local church groups often used the grounds for Memorial Day programs, reinforcing its role as a community learning site.

Sources: HistoricAerials (1955, 1971 series); WPA Greenville Housing Survey (1938); Oral Histories, Phyllis Wheatley Center Archives.

➤ 1970 – 1980 — Neglect and Recognition

Following integration and urban renewal, maintenance declined; burial records were partially destroyed by fire. Advocacy by local families and the City of Greenville Historic Preservation Commission led to Richland’s listing on the National Register of Historic Places (1980) as a “rare municipal cemetery for Black citizens.”

Sources: National Register Nomination (1980); Greenville News, Mar 3 1980; City Preservation Office files.

➤ 1990s – 2010s — City Restoration and Boundary Review

City Parks and Recreation assumed full maintenance responsibility; pathways and fencing were restored. Councilmember David C. Mitchell raised concerns that historic boundaries extended beyond current fence lines, possibly to the cell tower and Park Ave Gym property.

Sources: City of Greenville Parks and Rec Reports (2001, 2012); Greenville Journal (2024, “Restoring Richland”); Interview with Councilmember Mitchell.

➤ 2020s – Present — Community Stewardship and Research

Parks & Recreation continues municipal care while volunteers document headstones and oral histories. Field measurements (2025) confirm current size ≈ 6.07 acres, suggesting some burials once extended westward toward the 9798 E Stone Ave, now proposed as the Bot’s Place interpretive site. Ongoing goals include restoring records lost to fire, mapping unmarked graves, and recognizing the former Richland Hill neighborhood as integral to the cemetery’s story.

Sources: City of Greenville GIS (2023); Field measurement (2025); Greenville County Council Minutes (2024); Greenville Journal (2024).

Historic photographs of Richland Cemetery prior to the mid-20th century are limited. This exhibit relies on deeds, tax records, city documents, and oral histories to document continuity of use, stewardship, and boundary evolution. 

Interpretive Summary

Richland Cemetery stands as Greenville’s oldest and most enduring African-American burial ground—an emblem of dignity, faith, and community resilience. From the compassion of Elizabeth and Emmala Jones, who deeded land in 1884 so others might rest with honor during segregation, grew a sacred place that has served generations of Black families.

Its proximity to Allen School and the former Richland Hill neighborhood reflects a historic landscape where education, residence, labor, and burial were deeply intertwined. Today, this legacy continues through active municipal stewardship, community volunteers, and emerging interpretive efforts—including the proposed Bot’s Place framework—each carrying forward the same spirit of generosity and care that first took root on this ground.

Exhibit 8 — 1951 Cemetery Maintenance Building

798 E Stone Avenue, Greenville, SC 29601

I. Introduction

Constructed circa 1951, the small brick building at 798 E Stone Avenue stands less than 100 feet from the Fern Street entrance to Richland Cemetery. Originally part of Greenville’s post-war Public Works program, the structure likely functioned as an equipment and storage facility for the City’s African-American cemetery maintenance crews. Its modest scale, masonry construction, and utilitarian form reflect a period when Black civic landscapes—schools, parks, and burial grounds—were gradually brought under municipal management within a segregated system of public services.

For decades, the building supported the daily labor that sustained Richland Cemetery, including groundskeeping, grave preparation, and seasonal maintenance. Today, it survives as one of the last intact physical witnesses to the interconnected system of care, labor, and stewardship that sustained Greenville’s African-American burial grounds through much of the twentieth century.

Leatherwood Matters (501(c)(3)) is pursuing acquisition of the property to ensure its preservation and adaptive reuse as a community heritage hub supporting interpretation, education, and stewardship activities tied to Richland Cemetery and the surrounding corridor.

Sources: City of Greenville Public Works Atlas (1950); Greenville County Property Card (2024); LoopNet Historical Listing Data (2022); Leatherwood Matters Acquisition Intent Statement (2025).

II. Zoning & Parcel Data Summary — 798 E Stone Avenue

The property is identified as Parcel ID (TMS) 0039.02-01-018.00, located at 798 E Stone Avenue, Greenville, SC 29601. The legal description is Map 0039.02, Lot 9, comprising approximately 0.06 acres (2,614 square feet).

The parcel is currently classified for tax purposes as a commercial store/utility building. Zoning is MX-2 (Mixed-Use District) under the City of Greenville Unified Development Ordinance. MX-2 zoning permits neighborhood-scale commercial, civic, cultural, nonprofit, and educational uses and supports adaptive reuse of existing structures within walkable, mixed-use corridors.

The site lies along the Stone Avenue corridor, within the City of Greenville’s Central Business District fringe and adjacent to Richland Cemetery. Flood mapping places the parcel in FEMA Flood Zone X (Panel 45045C0382E), indicating location outside the regulated flood hazard area. The most recent assessment year is 2024, reflecting continued commercial classification.

Sources: Greenville County Tax Assessor (2024); City of Greenville UDO Zoning Map (2024–2025).

III. Ownership & Sale History — 798 E Stone Avenue

The building was constructed in 1951 under City of Greenville ownership as part of its post-war Public Works program. During this period, the structure functioned as a utility and storage facility supporting maintenance operations for Richland Cemetery, Springwood Cemetery, and nearby municipal properties, including the Park Avenue Gym grounds.

On June 25, 1989, the City conveyed the property through public sale following the release of non-core utility parcels. The transfer was recorded in Greenville County Deed Book 1127, Page 984, with a sale price of $13,882, marking the site’s first transition to private ownership.

On August 10, 2022, ownership transferred via warranty deed to Frost Holdings LLC, managed by Travis Frost, from Slice on Stone LLC. The recorded sale price was $125,000, reflecting renewed interest in adaptive reuse and corridor redevelopment.

A planned acquisition in 2026 anticipates transfer of the property from Frost Holdings LLC to Leatherwood Matters (501(c)(3)), subject to City review and historic preservation approval. The nonprofit intends to convert the building into a Heritage Stewardship Center, a use consistent with MX-2 zoning and preservation objectives.

Upon purchase, Leatherwood Matters will assume full ownership, structural liability, and insurance responsibility for the property. The City of Greenville will retain advisory oversight through a proposed Historic Preservation Office Memorandum of Understanding (2025).

Sources: Greenville County Register of Deeds (Books 1127 & 2662); LoopNet Property History (2022); Greenville County GIS Ownership Records (2024); Leatherwood Matters Purchase Agreement Letter (2025).

IV. Interpretation & Significance

The 1951 Cemetery Maintenance Building stands at the intersection of civic labor, segregation, and preservation. Located directly opposite Richland Cemetery’s Fern Street entrance, the structure embodies Greenville’s post-war effort to institutionalize care for African-American public grounds within a segregated municipal framework. For decades, it functioned as a working support facility where city laborers maintained burial grounds that served Black churches and families excluded from white cemeteries.

Today, the property’s MX-2 Mixed-Use zoning designation provides a clear regulatory pathway for adaptive reuse as a cultural, educational, and community-serving facility. MX-2 zoning permits neighborhood-scale civic, nonprofit, and cultural uses compatible with historic structures and pedestrian-oriented corridors, aligning directly with the proposed preservation and interpretation program.

Following acquisition, Leatherwood Matters will rehabilitate the building as the Richland Cemetery Heritage Stewardship Center, a publicly accessible site supporting oral-history recording, digitization of family archives, youth training programs, and guided heritage interpretation. This reuse transforms a former municipal utility structure into a nonprofit-led heritage asset, reinforcing the City’s goals for inclusive redevelopment, historic preservation, and mixed-use vitality along the Stone Avenue corridor.

The preservation and adaptive reuse of the 1951 Maintenance Building demonstrate how MX-2 zoning can be leveraged to protect cultural landmarks while enabling active community use, anchoring the broader Richland–Bot’s Place Heritage Corridor and ensuring that stewardship, education, and memory remain visible within Greenville’s evolving urban landscape.

Sources: City of Greenville Unified Development Ordinance (MX-2 District Standards); City of Greenville Public Works Atlas (1950); HistoricAerials (1955, 1971); Greenville News (1980); City Parks & Recreation Reports (2001–2012); Leatherwood Matters Preservation Plan (2025).

V. Future Use & Community Integration

Following rehabilitation, the building will function as a multi-purpose heritage facility supporting digitization and oral-history labs linked to the I AM Art Legacy Archive and the proposed Bot’s Place interpretive framework. Planned uses include production of AR and VR tours for the Richland Cemetery StoryMap, community meetings, docent and AmeriCorps training sessions, and rotating public exhibits documenting Greenville’s African-American civic labor history.

Public access will be provided during scheduled programs and by appointment for research, education, and interpretive activities.

Sources: Leatherwood Matters Interpretive Reuse Proposal (2025); iamartlegacy.org/bots-place (2025).

VI. Conservation and Sustainability Measures

Rehabilitation of the structure will adhere to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Historic Preservation and will incorporate environmentally responsible materials and systems. Planned measures include low-VOC coatings, LED lighting, roof and façade repairs, and stormwater diversion consistent with the Zero-Waste Tree Stewardship Plan (Exhibit 8 Addendum). These interventions reduce long-term maintenance costs while aligning with Greenville’s sustainability, ESG, and heritage-preservation goals.

Sources: Leatherwood Matters Sustainability Checklist (2025); City of Greenville Sustainability Plan (2024).

VII. Summary

The pending acquisition and preservation of 798 E Stone Avenue by Leatherwood Matters represent a transformative step for the Richland–Bot’s Place Heritage Corridor. By bringing the 1951 Cemetery Maintenance Building under nonprofit ownership and adaptive reuse, the project secures a visible and functional anchor for interpretation, education, and community stewardship within Greenville’s African-American heritage landscape—ensuring that the labor, care, and dignity embedded in this site remain visible and accessible for future generations.

Sources: Leatherwood Matters Acquisition Intent Statement (2025); City of Greenville Historic Preservation Office MOU (2025). 

9

Relevance of Findings to the Landmark Review Board

Summarizes cross-exhibit conclusions and procedural oversight lessons.

10

Comparative Heritage Status of African-American Corridors in Greenville, SC

Comparative study of Greenville’s heritage corridors (Haynie–Sirrine, Sterling, Nicholtown, Richland Hill).

I. Establishment of Historic Continuity

The Allen School narrative documents three interconnected eras of Greenville’s African-American civic evolution: the post–Civil War Freedmen’s education movement (circa 1865), the Works Progress Administration expansion of Black public education (1936), and the post-integration redevelopment period culminating in demolition (1970–2016). Together, these phases demonstrate how a single site embodied more than 150 years of perseverance, educational advancement, and neighborhood identity.

This continuity provides essential historic context for evaluating the remaining cultural resources within the Richland Hill corridor and establishes Allen School as a critical reference point for understanding subsequent preservation needs.

Sources: Greenville News (June 17, 2019, Eric Connor); WYFF News 4 (March 2016); Greenville County School Board Reports (1936–1970); Hill’s Greenville City Directory (1936–1970); Phyllis Wheatley Center Records (1940s); Family Oral Histories (2024).

II. Identification of Procedural Gaps in Preservation Oversight

The 2016 demolition of Allen School occurred through a city-brokered land-swap transaction that proceeded outside customary landmark-review and historic-preservation evaluation channels. This case illustrates how intra-governmental or quasi-public transactions may unintentionally bypass established preservation triggers when municipal assets are transferred or redeveloped.

Documenting this process provides the Review Board with a clear example of where procedural safeguards may warrant clarification or reinforcement to prevent future loss of historically significant resources.

Sources: Greenville News (2019); City of Greenville Planning Commission Minutes (2015–2019); Greenville County Register of Deeds (Book 2501, p. 441); City Council Minutes (2016); WYFF News 4 (March 2016).

III. Demonstration of Educational and Cultural Significance

Allen School was one of Greenville’s last remaining WPA-era African-American schools and educated generations of teachers, artists, and civic leaders, including Mildred L. Johnson Leatherwood Wolfe. The school functioned as a connective institution between the Phyllis Wheatley Community Center, Sterling High School, and Richland Cemetery.

This educational and cultural role meets recognized criteria for local landmark designation under subsections (a) historic significance, (b) cultural importance, and (d) irreplaceable character, establishing a precedent for protection of remaining corridor assets.

Sources: Greenville County Board of Education Minutes (1936); WPA Project Files (1935–1936); Hill’s Greenville City Directory (1940–1958); Phyllis Wheatley Center Records (1940s); Greenville Cultural Exchange Oral Histories (2000s); Family Oral Records (2024).

IV. Documentation of Context Loss and Public Record

Coverage by the Greenville News and WYFF News 4 provides verifiable public documentation of the demolition of Allen School and the resulting loss of a major African-American civic landmark. Inclusion of this record ensures that the demolition itself becomes part of Greenville’s documented preservation history.

Recognizing documented loss is essential for contextual evaluation and supports stronger justification for proactive protection of remaining historic resources within the corridor.

Sources: Greenville News (2019); WYFF News 4 (March 2016); Greenville County Property Card (2016); City of Greenville Demolition Permit #2016-117A; HistoricAerials.com (2015–2017).

V. Support for a Heritage Corridor Designation

The cumulative findings across Exhibits 1–8 support creation of a Richland Cemetery Heritage Corridor that unites education (Allen School), remembrance (Richland Cemetery), and community legacy (Stone Avenue Barber Shop and the proposed Bot’s Place framework). Establishing this corridor reframes the loss of Allen School as a catalyst for coordinated preservation, interpretation, and equity-based planning.

A corridor designation provides a structured mechanism for protecting remaining assets while enabling contextual storytelling and adaptive reuse.

Sources: Greenville News (2019); City of Greenville Planning Staff Report (2016); Richland Cemetery National Register Nomination (1980); City of Greenville GIS Data (2024).

VI. Demonstration of Public Awareness and Accountability

Mainstream journalism, municipal records, and community oral histories collectively demonstrate sustained public awareness of Allen School’s demolition and its cultural implications. Formal recognition of these sources affirms community documentation as a valid and necessary component of Greenville’s historic-preservation evidence base.

This acknowledgment strengthens transparency and accountability in future landmark-review deliberations.

Sources: Greenville News (2019); WYFF News 4 (2016); Greenville Cultural Exchange Oral History Archives (2000s); City of Greenville Historic Resources Inventory (2020).

VII. Interpretive Summary

The findings presented across Exhibits 1–8 converge in Exhibit 9 to demonstrate that the Richland–Bot’s Place Heritage Corridor represents a continuous narrative of civic life, education, labor, and remembrance rather than a collection of isolated sites. Recognition of this corridor as a Local Landmark would honor both the tangible historic resources that remain and the community stewardship that preserved them through decades of systemic neglect and change.

I. Haynie–Sirrine / Augusta Street & University Ridge Corridor

Post-Emancipation Settlement (1880s–1970s)

Location: South / Southwest Greenville
Primary Character: Blue-collar and skilled-trade district supporting early Black homeownership, domestic service, and industrial labor.
Heritage Status:
✔ National Register of Historic Places (1982)
✔ Local Preservation Overlay

Representative Features:
Dozens of contributing cottages and bungalows; one of Greenville’s earliest and most intact Black working-class neighborhoods.

II. Sterling High School / John Wesley Church Area

Educational Uplift (1890s–1970; legacy ongoing)

Location: Southwest / West End
Primary Character: Educational and religious core supporting schools, churches, printing trades, and professional training.
Heritage Status:
✔ National Register Historic District (1988) — Sterling High School District

Representative Features:
John Wesley AME Church (active); Sterling High School memorial site and interpretive marker.

III. Broad Street / Downtown Black Business District

Professional Centralization (1920s–1960s)

Location: Downtown / Central Core
Primary Character: White-collar and professional corridor—law, insurance, medicine, fraternal and benevolent organizations.
Heritage Status:
✔ NRHP-listed individual landmarks
• Working Benevolent Temple (1982)
• Phyllis Wheatley YWCA Building (1978)

Representative Features:
Working Benevolent Temple; Phyllis Wheatley Center; former offices of Black professionals and civic leaders.

IV. Nicholtown / Laurens Road & Pleasantburg Drive Corridor

Neighborhood Self-Help (1930s–Present)

Location: Southeast Greenville
Primary Character: Residential service and skilled-trade corridor—groceries, beauty salons, auto repair, and family-run businesses.
Heritage Status:
⚪ Identified as eligible historic district
⚪ No local designation to date

Representative Features:
Nicholtown Missionary Baptist Church; long-operating neighborhood service shops and residences.

V. East Stone Avenue / Richland Hill Node

Integrated Civic–Labor Bridge (1930s–Present)

Location: North / Northeast Greenville
Primary Character: Mixed-use civic-labor corridor integrating education, burial grounds, and neighborhood commerce.
Heritage Status:
✔ NRHP-listed site: Richland Cemetery (1980)
⚪ Eligible local corridor — proposed 2025
(Richland–Bot’s Place Heritage Corridor)

Representative Features:
Stone Avenue Barber Shop (1950s, still operating);
798 E Stone Avenue Public Works / Cemetery Maintenance Building (1951);
Allen School (1936–2016).

VI. Interpretive Summary

Across Greenville, African-American heritage corridors collectively narrate a history of resilience, creativity, and civic participation. From the post-Emancipation homeownership patterns of Haynie–Sirrine to the educational institutions of Sterling High and John Wesley AME Church, these districts chart the city’s evolution from segregation toward self-determination.

While southern and western corridors have received formal landmark recognition, the northern Richland–Bot’s Place node remains an under-recognized bridge connecting labor, faith, education, and remembrance. Establishing local designation for this corridor would complete Greenville’s geographic and historical narrative—linking south-to-north pathways of African-American achievement and ensuring that the stories embedded along Stone Avenue and Church Street are preserved within the same heritage framework as the city’s better-known districts.

Sources

• City of Greenville Planning & Design Department. Historic Resources Survey Update Report (2023).
• South Carolina Department of Archives and History (SCDAH). National Register Nomination Files (1982–1988).
• Greenville Journal. “Restoring Richland: Mapping Greenville’s Black Heritage Corridors” (March 2024).
• Nichols, A. Building Community in the Upstate: African-American Neighborhoods of Greenville County. Upcountry History Museum Press (2019).
• City of Greenville Historic Preservation Commission Minutes (2020–2025).
• Oral Histories Collection, Phyllis Wheatley Community Center Archives (1970–2020).

11

Bot’s Place — Community Stewardship & Interpretation Plan

Implementation roadmap linking Augmented Reality (AR) tours, AmeriCorps and RSVP engagement, oral-history digitization, and public education.

12

Community Benefits & Interpretive Infrastructure Plan

Outlines AmeriCorps / RSVP programming, digital-archive creation, drone technology training, and sustainability framework for the Heritage Corridor.

I. Stewardship Vision & Objectives

BOT’s Place serves as the living extension of the Richland–Bot’s Place Heritage Corridor—a civic micro-campus for storytelling, digital preservation, and environmental education located near the western edge of Richland Cemetery. Conceived by Leatherwood Matters (501(c)(3)), the project bridges past and present stewardship efforts by transforming a portion of the former Richland Hill neighborhood into a space for intergenerational learning, remembrance, and cultural resilience.

The site is envisioned as an active heritage laboratory rather than a static memorial. Programming will integrate oral-history collection, digital archiving, arts-based interpretation, and public service, supported by AmeriCorps fellows, local students, and community volunteers. BOT’s Place represents a forward-looking model of preservation—one that honors history while equipping future generations to steward it.

Sources: City of Greenville Planning Department (2024); iamartlegacy.org/bots-place (2025); Leatherwood Matters Program Overview (2025).

II. Maintenance & Site Management Framework

Following acquisition of the 1951 Cemetery Maintenance Building at 798 E Stone Avenue, Leatherwood Matters will assume full ownership and operational responsibility for the structure. This includes structural liability, insurance coverage, utilities, routine maintenance, and public-access management, ensuring the building remains safe, functional, and available for interpretive use.

The City of Greenville Parks & Recreation Department will continue to maintain the broader Richland Cemetery grounds, including mowing, pathways, fencing, and visitor access. Coordination between the City and Leatherwood Matters will occur through a Joint Heritage Corridor Maintenance Agreement (2025), which establishes shared standards for inspection, safety, landscape preservation, and interpretive signage upkeep.

This public–nonprofit framework creates long-term accountability while preserving clear jurisdictional boundaries, ensuring that stewardship of the corridor remains transparent, collaborative, and financially sustainable.

Sources: City of Greenville Historic Preservation Office MOU (2025); Leatherwood Matters Maintenance Plan (2025).

III. Interpretation & Public Engagement Plan

BOT’s Place will function as a public-facing interpretive hub, connecting Richland Cemetery, the Allen School legacy, and the Stone Avenue civic corridor through layered and accessible storytelling.

Core interpretive components include:

• Augmented Reality (AR) Walking Tours of BOT’s Place and Richland Cemetery, using QR markers and GIS-based StoryMaps to surface hidden histories, burial narratives, and neighborhood context.
• Podcast & Oral-History Recording Space within the 1951 Maintenance Building, enabling residents and descendants to document stories that will be archived annually with the City Historic Preservation Office.
• Digitization Labs assisting families with preservation of photographs, documents, and home videos for inclusion in Greenville’s cultural heritage collections.
• Community Art Panels and Youth Exhibits curated through the I AM Art Legacy program, fostering creative interpretation and intergenerational dialogue.

Together, these elements establish a living classroom where preservation practice, storytelling, and civic education intersect.

Sources: ArcGIS StoryMap “Richland Cemetery: Restoring a Legacy” (2024); City of Greenville Planning Department (2024); Leatherwood Matters Interpretive Plan (2025).

IV. Educational & Volunteer Engagement

BOT’s Place will support structured educational and service-based programming designed to cultivate local stewardship capacity. Planned engagements include:

• Youth Docent Training Programs in partnership with Greenville Technical College’s Digital Media Department.
• Civic Heritage Internships supported by the CNS–AmeriCorps program, engaging participants in mapping, AR content creation, oral-history collection, and public event coordination.
• Teacher-in-Residence Sessions enabling Greenville County educators to integrate local history and civic engagement into classroom curricula.
• Community Service Days focused on cemetery cleanup, pollinator planting, archival work, and oral-history recording.

These initiatives empower participants not only as learners, but as active stewards and interpreters of the Richland Hill legacy.

Sources: Greenville Technical College Partnership Proposal (2025); CNS–AmeriCorps Program Summary (2025); Leatherwood Matters Education Plan (2025).

V. Partnership & Governance Model (Reformatted for Web Readability)

BOT’s Place operates through a multi-partner governance framework designed to balance nonprofit leadership, municipal coordination, educational expertise, and community oversight.

Leatherwood Matters (501(c)(3))
Serves as site owner and project administrator. Responsibilities include building management, program delivery, fundraising, insurance, compliance, and long-term stewardship planning.

City of Greenville – Parks & Recreation Department
Maintains Richland Cemetery grounds and coordinates public access, safety standards, and landscape preservation in alignment with the Heritage Corridor Maintenance Agreement.

Greenville Technical College – Digital Media Department
Provides technical support for AR/VR interpretation, student fellowships, and digital storytelling production.

CNS–AmeriCorps Fellows
Support oral-history interviews, digital archiving, youth docent programming, and community engagement activities.

Community Advisory Council
Comprised of descendants, local historians, educators, and civic leaders who guide interpretive standards, cultural accuracy, and ethical stewardship practices.

This governance model ensures that BOT’s Place remains community-rooted, professionally managed, and publicly accountable.

Sources: Leatherwood Matters Governance Framework (2025); City of Greenville Heritage Corridor Draft Agreement (2025).

VI. Funding & Implementation Timeline

2026 — Install interpretive signage and QR markers
Funding: City Heritage Mini-Grant; Leatherwood Matters Donor Fund

2027 — Launch Digital Archive Portal, Youth Docent Program, and AR Walking Tour Beta (Allen School + Richland Cemetery)
Funding: State Arts Commission Education Grant; CNS–AmeriCorps Grant; Greenville Technical College Partnership; ArcGIS StoryMap Collaboration

2028 — Restore the 1951 Maintenance Building and Cemetery Access Walkway
Funding: African American Heritage Preservation Fund

2029 — Complete BOT’s Place Storytelling Garden and Community Letter Archive
Funding: Private sponsorship and community fundraising

2030 — Publish Annual Corridor Report and establish 10-Year Renewal Agreement
Funding: Joint City of Greenville / Leatherwood Matters Agreement

Sources: Greenville Heritage Funding Directory (2024); BOT’s Place Partnership Proposals (2025); Leatherwood Matters AR Interpretation Pilot Proposal (2025); CNS–AmeriCorps Grant Overview (2025).

VII. Interpretive Summary

BOT’s Place represents the living capstone of the Richland–Bot’s Place Heritage Corridor—a site where history, art, technology, and service converge to form a sustainable model of community-led preservation. Through AmeriCorps partnerships, digital storytelling, and AR-enhanced interpretation, the project transforms remembrance into active civic engagement.

By linking the 1951 Cemetery Maintenance Building, Richland Cemetery, and the Allen School legacy, BOT’s Place secures a continuum of stewardship that honors Greenville’s African-American heritage while empowering future generations to protect, interpret, and innovate within their community.

Sources: Leatherwood Matters Strategic Vision Statement (2025); City of Greenville Heritage Corridor Framework Draft (2025).

I. Purpose & Community Rationale

The establishment of the Richland–Bot’s Place Heritage Corridor as a Local Landmark is not solely an act of preservation—it is a commitment to active education, stewardship, and inclusion. The corridor’s historic landscape connects stories of civic labor, education, and remembrance that continue to resonate with Greenville’s diverse community. Through interpretive programming, digital tools,  and youth engagement, landmark designation will transform the corridor into a living classroom, aligning with the City of Greenville’s GVL 2040 Comprehensive Plan and its Cultural Resources Element.

Sources: City of Greenville, GVL 2040 Comprehensive Plan (2020); Greenville Cultural Resources Element (2022); Leatherwood Matters Project Notes (2025).

II. Interpretive Infrastructure Overview

Physical and digital interpretive features will make the corridor’s history visible, accessible, and interactive. Planned infrastructure includes interpretive signage, augmented-reality (AR) walking tours, podcast and oral-history recording stations, and a digitization lab located at the proposed Bot’s Place site. Together, these elements provide layered engagement opportunities for residents, students, and visitors.

Sources: City of Greenville Planning Department (2024); iamartlegacy.org/bots-place (2025); Furman University Community Engagement Office (2024).

III. Partnership & Education Network

Interpretation and stewardship will be implemented through cross-sector collaboration among educational institutions, nonprofits, faith partners, and municipal agencies:

• Furman University — archival studies, oral-history collection, and GIS storytelling support.
  
  

• Greenville Technical College — Digital Media Program co-ops supporting scanning, editing, AR design, and workforce training.
  
  

• AmeriCorps (CNS) Grant — 2027 Cycle — Youth Docent Program, Digital Archive Portal, and AR Walking Tour beta launch.
  
  

• RSVP (Retired and Senior Volunteer Program) — senior mentorship and community storytelling.
  
  

• City of Greenville Parks & Recreation — cemetery maintenance coordination and joint programming.
  
  

• Mattoon Presbyterian Church & Leatherwood Matters — stewardship leadership and legacy interpretation.
  
  

Sources: Furman University (2024); Greenville Technical College (2024); AmeriCorps CNS Grant Guidelines (2025); RSVP Program Handbook (AmeriCorps Seniors, 2023); Leatherwood Matters Internal Records (2000–2005).

IV. Community Engagement & Expansion

Following completion of Richland Cemetery documentation by AmeriCorps youth and RSVP seniors, the Docent Corps will collaborate with community stakeholders to extend this preservation model to other African-American cemeteries across Greenville County and the Upstate. This initiative responds directly to historic neglect documented in regional media coverage.

Supported by Furman University and Greenville Technical College, Docent Corps alumni will employ ArcGIS StoryMap, photogrammetry, and oral-history tools to document and interpret additional sites. By Year 3, the program aims to launch a regional cemetery survey network, mapping at least two additional African-American cemeteries and publishing publicly accessible datasets for education and planning.

Sources: WYFF News 4 (2024), “South Carolina slave cemetery cleanup process historic neglect”; ArcGIS StoryMap Portal (2025); Furman University GIS Program (2025); Greenville Technical College UAS Curriculum (2025).

Drone & Emerging-Technology Integration

As part of next-generation skill development, the program will incorporate drone-based photogrammetry and aerial mapping to enhance documentation accuracy for Richland Cemetery and future heritage sites. Drone surveys will capture high-resolution imagery of headstones, canopy, and topography, producing 3D models that supplement GIS records. Training will be provided through Greenville Technical College’s Unmanned Aerial Systems curriculum, preparing participants for FAA Part 107 certification and workforce-ready credentials in cultural-resource mapping.

Sources: Greenville Technical College (2025); FAA Part 107 Certification Manual (2025); Leatherwood Matters Drone Integration Plan (2025).

V. Sustainability & Long-Term Maintenance

Leatherwood Matters will purchase and hold title to the 1951 Cemetery Maintenance Building at 798 E Stone Avenue, ensuring its long-term preservation and use as a public-facing interpretive facility. The organization will oversee program operations, facility maintenance, and technology systems, incorporating sustainability measures such as energy-efficient upgrades and redundant digital-archive backups.

Ongoing funding will be supported through Heritage Weekend fundraisers, South Carolina Arts Commission education grants, and collaborative partnerships with Greenville Technical College for digital-media training and continued student involvement.

Sources: Greenville County Register of Deeds (2024); City of Greenville Planning Department (2024); Leatherwood Matters Acquisition Plan (2025); South Carolina Arts Commission Grant Guidelines (2025).

VI. Anticipated Outcomes & Metrics

• 1,000+ annual visitors participating in tours and events
  
  

• 300 digital records preserved by 2027
  
  

• 25 youth docents trained annually
  
  

• 3–5 institutional partners active each year
  
  

• Regional cemetery survey network launched by Year 3
  
  

• Documentation of at least two additional African-American cemeteries by Year 5
  
  

• 50 Docent Corps alumni trained as cemetery-survey leaders
  
  

Sources: Leatherwood Matters Metrics Framework (2025); AmeriCorps Program Evaluation Model (2024); Greenville Cultural Planning Office Benchmarks (2023).

VII. Interpretive Summary

Designation of the Richland–Bot’s Place Heritage Corridor transforms preservation into participation. Through interpretive signage, digital tools, and education-driven partnerships, the corridor becomes a civic bridge connecting Greenville’s legacy of labor, learning, and remembrance to a future of shared stewardship and inclusive heritage practice.

Sources: City of Greenville Historic Resources Inventory (2024); National Trust for Historic Preservation, Education Policy Brief (2022).