Long Creek Academy
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Long Creek Academy | |
.JPG) Long Creek Academy in 2009 | |
   | |
| Nearest city | Long Creek, South Carolina |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 34°47′25″N 83°14′52″W / 34.79028°N 83.24778°W |
| Area | 19.9 acres (8.1 ha) |
| Built | 1914 |
| NRHP reference No. | 87002059[1] |
| Added to NRHP | November 20, 1987 |
The Long Creek Academy is a former Christian school that is located at the intersection of Academy Road and South Carolina S-37-339 near U.S. Route 76 near Long Creek, South Carolina in Oconee County.[2] It was named to the National Register of Historic Places on November 20, 1987.[3][4] It is currently used by a whitewater rafting company.[5]
In 1913, the Beaverdam Baptist Association began planning for a high school for rural children in Oconee County. The school began in 1914 under the Beaverdam Baptist Association and the Home Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. It was one of six "mountain mission schools" in the South including four others in South Carolina.[2][6][7]
The Academy had 55 acres (22 ha). The Main Building was completed in 1914, and the Sullivan Building was completed in 1917.[2][6][7]
In 1916, the Saluda Baptist Association agreed to cooperate with the Beaverdam Baptist Association for the equipment of the academy. In 1922, the General Board of the South Carolina Baptist Convention took over operation of the school. In 1931, the South Carolina Baptist Convention sold the property.[2][6][7]
The principal of the Academy, Rev. Luther Henry Raines, reorganized the school as a private corporation. It became an accredited state high school. Although Bible courses were still taught, the State of South Carolina assisted in paying the teachers until 1952. Raines operated the Academy without state or denominational aid until 1956.[2][6][7]
The property was divided and sold. In 1976, James and Jeanette Greiner bought 19 acres (8 ha) including the two buildings of the Academy. They converted it into the local headquarters for a river rafting outfitter for the nearby Chattooga River.[2][8]
