Benedict College Receives HBCU Cultural Heritage Stewardship Initiative Grant For $65,000.00

Benedict College announced it is the recipient of a $65,000.00 grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation through its HBCU Cultural Heritage Stewardship Initiative. The Initiative seeks to provide technical assistants, fund new Cultural Heritage Stewardship Plans, and empower HBCU with the resources to protect, preserve, and leverage their historic campuses, buildings, and landscapes.

“We are grateful to the HBCU Cultural Stewardship Initiative for their generous donation. This grant will support the ongoing transformation of Benedict’s 150-year old campus. We are working diligently to renovate and preserve all of our historic buildings,” said Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis, President and CEO of Benedict College. “ This innovative program and the funding awarded as a result thereof, helps to preserve the unique and important legacy of HBCUs and will ensure that Duckett Hall will serve as a symbol of pride for generations of future Benedict Tigers.”

Benedict College, founded in 1870, will develop a stewardship plan for Duckett Hall (1925). The stewardship plan will prioritize Duckett Hall’s repair and guide Benedict College’s future preservation efforts. In 1870, Benedict College was built to educate newly emancipated slaves after the Reconstruction Era. The College served as the center of black activities before desegregation.

The historic resource, Duckett Hall is of great significance to Richland County, Columbia, the state of South Carolina, and the nation. It is one of five buildings in the College’s Historic District.