Historic Horseshoe

The Horseshoe was built primarily by slaves out of slave-made brick, and is known as South Carolina College's original campus. What remains of one of the original outbuildings that housed slaves can be found on the backside of the president's mansion. Slaves were essential in the college's day-to-day operations and were owned by faculty, private citizens, and the college itself. Students were not permitted to bring slaves to school. As a university, we recognize the significance of slave contributions by placing plaques on the horseshoe.

Little-Known Brick History:

If you look down at the walkway between DeSaussure and McKissick, you might notice the initials M E E in the brick. The letters recognize Marion E. Evans, an African American brick mason. In 1931, when the university sought to pave the Horseshoe's dirt pathways , it was an impossible request due to the Great Depression so students volunteered for the task. Evans helped train the volunteer crew in the art of brick laying.

Monuments and Green Spaces:

-Desegregation Commemorative Garden (2014)
-Kitchen House and Slave Quarters Marker (2017)
-Slavery Historical Marker (2017)

18 bricks on the Historic Horseshoe have been dedicated to 18 African-American alumna to highlight the importance of the roles and lasting legacies of Black women at USC.

Honorees are:
-Hazel Bridges
-Alkeiver Cannon
-Stephanie Fraizer Cook
-Althea Counts
-Gail Bush Diggs
-Tjuan Dogan
-Markeshia Grant
-Amber Guyton
-Toby Jenkins
-Kara Jones
-Cheslie Kryst
-Yvonne Miller
-Jennifer Clyburn Reed
-Casey Richardson
-Lindsay Richardson
-Hope Rivers
-Linda Spearman Scott
-Karli Wells
-Jotaka Eaddy
-Henrie Monteith Treadwell