City of Greenville, Greenlink to host Black History Month bus tours

Historical sites located throughout Greenville paint a map of the struggles and impact of the city’s Black community.

To honor and educate others about this history, the city and Greenlink have partnered to host a Black History Bus Tour Feb. 10 and 24. The free tours will highlight the history and significance of 11 sites located throughout the city.

The city has been working on developing the tour since summer 2023 after Fran Harden, a Greenlink bus dispatcher, brought forward the idea.

“My father’s stories of growing up here and his participation in the Civil Rights Movement is what inspired me with the idea of a Black History Month Tour. To share with others of what may have been forgotten today,” Harden said.

Each tour will be led by Councilmember Lillian Brock Flemming and Sylvia Palmer, the first African American teacher at Greenville Junior High School.

“Greenville has a lot of Black history,” said Loren Thomas, the city’s multimedia manager. “It’s an opportunity to hear from people who have had some lived experiences as well as people who have that historical knowledge about the sites that we’re going to pass.”

Springfield Baptist - Megan Fitzgerald — Photos by Megan Fitzgerald

Some of the featured locations on the tour include:

Springfield Baptist Church – Greenville’s oldest historically Black Baptist church founded in 1867
Unity Park – the former site of Mayberry Park, Greenville’s segregated park for Black children
The Phillis Wheatley Community Center – a social and academic center for African American women established in 1919
The McClaren Medical Shelter – a clinic opened by Dr. Edward McClaren in 1949 to serve Black residents in the Upstate

Both tours are now sold out, according to the city. Thomas said the city plans to continue developing the tour and make it the best it can be. People can submit suggestions on other locations that should be added to the tour in the future by emailing Blackhistory@greenvillesc.gov.