our history
the sterling community
The Sterling Community in Greenville, South Carolina, is a significant, legacy Black neighborhood in the Southeast. With its remarkable emergence in the 1890s through establishment of a high school for young Black Americans by Reverend Daniele Melton Minus (above), a tradition for education and excellence was begun. The son of former slaves, Reverend Minus was supported by philanthropist Mrs. E.R. Sterling (above), for whom the school and later the neighborhood were named. Sterling High School was ultimately adopted by the public school system, a new and prominent building was built, and it became a center of educational, social, and spiritual life in the community and neighborhood.
The neighborhood’s significance in the Civil Rights Movement during and prior to the 1960s and beyond is particularly noteworthy, as partially evidenced by the prominence of Jesse Jackson, who was raised there. In 1967, at a time of integration, Sterling High School was mysteriously burned to the ground – a great loss for the community. With organized efforts within the Movement, Sterling High School’s student body implored the Greenville County School Board to maintain the school’s integrity. It remained a viable institution until 1970, when integration was fully implemented.
In intervening years, outmigration of residents, subsequent neighborhood decline, and recent gentrification of surrounding areas did not diminish Sterling’s place in history as a center of African American life and vitality – a tribute to its legacy and importance.
The above is an excerpt from Revitalizing an Urban Village: The Example of the Sterling Community by Thomas Schurch, ASLA.
land trust history
The Sterling Land Trust is a 501C3 nonprofit organization formed in 2010 by concerned residents, Sterling High School alumni, and supportive stake holders who wanted to restore the glory of this community and legacy of the former Sterling High School.
We are the first Community Land Trust in the state of South Carolina. As a neighborhood Land Trust, we serve the Greater Greenville, South Carolina Community, with special emphasis on the Sterling Neighborhood. Today the neighborhood remains a symbolic center of African-American history in Greenville. More than a symbol, though, the neighborhood is still a home to many families and individuals from all walks of life.
We endeavor to work alongside other low-wealth communities to make Greenville a better place for everyone. We focus on neighborhood sustainability, grassroots organizing, and the development of commercial and residential real estate.
Since our formation, we have begun the process of revitalizing the neighborhood as spelled out in the Sterling Neighborhood Master Plan conceived in 2010 with stakeholders, communities, and government entities. Our work has resulted in urban farming, acquiring properties to redevelop, and working with other low to moderate income builders with emphasis on the neighborhood being informed of new development and offering their approval.
Sterling is poised to become a leading Greenville neighborhood once again!
sterling high school
Although Sterling High School was destroyed, part of it survives to this day. The Sterling Hope Senior Center was built on the site of the high school. Its gym is the only remaining part of the historic building. Sterling High School will never be forgotten. Its teachers, students and staff created a vibrant community and imparted a lasting legacy to everyone who passed through its doors. Sterling and all of Greenville remember the achievements of students and teachers, who were paragons of academic and athletic excellence.
The Sterling Land Trust pays tribute to Sterling High School in its pursuit of a better future for Sterling and all of Greenville. We are called to this mission through the everlasting memories of the high school.