Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011.
“Retreat Rosenwald School, also known as the Retreat Colored School, is a historic Rosenwald School located at Westminster, Oconee County, South Carolina.”
Wikipedia article Retreat Rosenwald School, CC BY-SA 4.0.
One of 24 National Register listings published here for Oconee County · listed in 2011 · category: Building.
Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 236 fires within 5 miles of Retreat Rosenwald School between 1992 and 2020, burning about 381 acres in total. 2 started naturally. 21 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 86 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 73 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 21 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 18 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 16 |
| Smoking | 8 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 4 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 4 |
| Other causes | 3 |
| Natural | 2 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 September 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 5 September 2003 | Smoking | 1.0 acres | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 5 September 1998 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 27 September 2007 | Natural | under an acre | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 27 September 1998 | Recreation and ceremony | 1.0 acres | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 24 September 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 17 September 2010 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1.0 acres | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 17 September 2000 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of Retreat Rosenwald School: 1 unknown, 1 past producer. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richland Sand Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | Sedimentary | |
| Richland Sand Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Westminster, the town this property stands in, in 69 storm reports between 1995 and 2025: 44 thunderstorm wind, 17 hail, 3 lightning, 3 tornado. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2004 | Tornado (F1) | Westminster | $75,000 | This tornado blew down numerous trees and power lines along its track, some of which fell on homes. A mobile home was destroyed when it was blown into an embankment. |
| March 1996 | Lightning | Westminster | $75,000 | no account filed |
| July 2017 | Lightning | Westminster | $70,000 | Radio station reported lightning struck and disabled two public works water pumps. |
| August 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Westminster | $10,000 | Public reported a large tree blew down onto and destroyed a car on Pump House Rd. |
| September 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Westminster | $10,000 | Media reported a tree fell on a house on Seed Farm Rd in Westminster. County comms and public reported a couple of additional trees blown down in the Oakway area. |
| April 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Westminster | $10,000 | EM reported mutliple trees blown down in the Westminster area, with one tree down on a home. |
| August 2008 | Heavy Rain | Westminster | $10,000 | A combination of gusty winds and a soaked ground resulting from very heavy rainfall caused a tree to fall on a mobile home, briefly trapping the occupant. |
| August 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Westminster | $10,000 | Numerous trees were blown down. At least two trees fell on and damaged mobile homes. |
| January 2024 | Flash Flood | Westminster | $5,000 | Public reported (via Social Media) flash flooding developed across central Oconee County, particularly in the urban areas around Seneca and Westminster after 3 to 5 inches of rain fell in around 12 hours. Multiple roads were inundated and impassable due to a combination of small stream flooding and poor drainage. |
| August 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Westminster | $5,000 | Quite a few trees down on Johnson St, with at least one tree on a house. |
| June 2000 | Tornado (F0) | Westminster | $5,000 | no account filed |
| February 1997 | Tornado (F0) | Westminster | $5,000 | no account filed |
| May 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Westminster | $1,000 | EM, spotters, and public reported multiple trees, large limbs, and power lines blown down from Westminster, to west of Seneca, to Townville. Also, the storm door of a home was ripped away by the wind in Westminster. |
| August 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Westminster | $1,000 | FD reported numerous trees blown down from the Westminster area, across Seneca to Lake Hartwell. Public reported a damaged boat dock and a couple of boats pushed along Lake Hartwell. |
| May 2025 | Hail | Westminster | - | Ham radio operator reported quarter size hail on Highway 123 in Westminster. |
| April 2019 | Hail | Westminster | - | Public reported up to quarter size hail at Chau Ram County Park. |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Westminster | - | Fire dept reported numerous trees and several power lines blown down in and around Westminster, especially along Clearmont Rd. |
| July 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Westminster | - | County comms reported a few trees blown down in the southern part of the county. |
| August 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Westminster | - | Media reported a few large trees uprooted on Pickens Rd. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Westminster | - | County comms reported a few trees blown down on power lines. |
| March 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Westminster | - | County comms reported multiple trees blown down in the Westminster area. |
| July 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Westminster | - | County comms reported numerous trees blown down in the Westminster area, along with with power outages. |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Westminster | - | County comms reported two trees blown down. |
| April 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Westminster | - | Multiple trees were blown down in the Westminster area. |
| June 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Westminster | - | Multiple trees were blown down on Deborahs Way. |
| June 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Westminster | - | Trees were blown onto power lines on Dr. Johns Rd in Westminster. |
| May 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Westminster | - | Trees and power lines were blown down on Brown St. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Westminster | - | Several trees were blown down along Westminster highway. |
| July 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Westminster | - | Two trees were blown down on South Hampton St, about a mile southeast of town. One of the trees was also blown onto a house. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Westminster | - | A tree and power lines were blown down on a house on Bennett Rd. Additional|trees were blown in other areas of Westminster. |
| September 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Westminster | - | A few trees were blown down in Chau Ram State Park. This is just off highway 76 about 3 miles west northwest of Westminster. |
| July 2009 | Hail | Westminster | - | Nickel to quarter size hail fell near the intersection of highway 123 and Jenkins Bridge Rd. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Westminster | - | Numerous trees were blown down in and around Westminster. |
| February 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Westminster | - | Three trees blown down in the Westminster area. A tree was also blown down in Walhalla and another in Seneca. |
| March 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Westminster | - | Several trees and power lines blown down around Westminster. |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Westminster | - | Several 4 to 5 inch diameter tree limbs were blown down. |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Westminster | - | A tree was blown down on highway 76 in town. |
| June 2007 | Hail | Westminster | - | Hail reported along highway 76 just southeast of Holly Springs. |
| May 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Westminster | - | Trees and power lines blown down. |
| July 2006 | Hail | Westminster | - | Hail covered the ground. |
| August 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Westminster | - | Two trees blown down. |
| February 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Westminster | - | A few small trees blown down. |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Westminster | - | Eight large oak trees blown down and the tops of additional trees blown out. One of the trees fell on and damaged a deck. |
| September 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Westminster | - | Some trees were blown down. |
| November 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Westminster | - | Numerous trees were blown down. |
| August 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Westminster | - | Numerous trees and power lines down in both towns. |
| April 2012 | Hail | Westminster | - | no account filed |
| May 2011 | Hail | Westminster | - | no account filed |
| June 2011 | Hail | Westminster | - | no account filed |
| June 2007 | Hail | Westminster | - | no account filed |
| May 2006 | Hail | Westminster | - | no account filed |
| May 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Westminster | - | no account filed |
| July 2006 | Hail | Westminster | - | no account filed |
| April 2002 | Hail | Westminster | - | no account filed |
| June 2002 | Hail | Westminster | - | no account filed |
| August 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Westminster | - | no account filed |
| April 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Westminster | - | no account filed |
| July 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Westminster | - | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Hail | Westminster | - | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Westminster | - | no account filed |
No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.
Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.
| Photograph | Property | Distance | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Southern Railway Passenger Station | 2.5 miles | 1976 |
 | Keil Farm | 6.3 miles | 1998 |
 | Seneca Historic District | 6.8 miles | 1974 |
| Seneca Historic District (Boundary Increase) | 6.8 miles | 1987 | |
 | Ram Cat Alley Historic District | 7.1 miles | 2000 |
| Seneca Cotton Mill | 8.0 miles | 2022 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 11000676 in Record Group 79. |
| Wikipedia article | Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA. |
| Oconee County | All 24 listed properties in this county. |
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