After 73 years as a vital part of Hartsville, Butler High School was closed in 1983. The complex was used as a warehouse, and one wing housed the ALERT Center for gifted elementary students, when the Darlington County School District decided to offer the property for sale to commercial developers. Butler Heritage Foundation was organized in the fall of 1991 by Butler High School alumni, former faculty, and concerned citizens, who developed a plan to save and restore Butler for public use as a community center.
The group’s efforts over the following year were successful. The School District agreed to deed five buildings of the Butler complex to the City of Hartsville. A lease agreement between the City and the Butler Heritage Foundation gave the Foundation full responsibility for securing funds, planning programs, and operating a multi-purpose community center at Butler.
Butler Heritage Foundation is a non-profit organization, tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Annual membership dues are $20. The Board of Directors consists of fifteen elected members who serve three-year terms, plus representatives from the alumni chapters located in Washington, DC, Tri-State in the Philadelphia area, and the Pee Dee area in SC. Efforts are underway to organize chapters in Atlanta, Columbia, New York and New Jersey.
The five buildings turned over to Butler Heritage Foundation were in dismal condition, due to their age and extensive water damage, with leaking roofs, broken windows, and gutted interiors. Two buildings were fire damaged. With a Community Development Block Grant, generous donations from alumni, supporters, and countless volunteer hours, the organization has worked to make the buildings usable.
First, to be renovated was the former band building, which opened in November, 1994, as the Butler Senior Center. The Darlington County Council on Aging operates its Hartsville Nutrition Site there Monday – Friday, 9:30 am – 1:30 pm. Senior citizens gather to socialize and participate in organized activities.
As renovations progressed, portions of the former shop building and the gym were used for BACK (Butler Alumni Coaching Kids) tutorial program, Girl Scouts, the Delta Rich program, the Healthy Start Teen Life Center and various community meetings. Renovation of the 11,500 sq. ft. shop building continued until the fall of 1999, when the building was ready for the long-awaited Hartsville Boys and Girls Club. Serving young people ages 6 – 18; the Club is open Monday – Friday afternoons, 2:30 – 6:00 during the school year, and 7:30 am – 5:30 pm during the summer. Activities offered include homework assistance, citizenship and leadership development, drug and alcohol abuse education, health and physical education, arts and crafts, and just plain fun.
The eight-classroom building, which was badly damaged by fire during the period the school was a warehouse, required extensive and costly renovation. Thanks to partnering effort with Darlington County Community Action Agency, the building is now ready to open as the Hartsville Head Start Center. Two of the classrooms will be used for the Butler Library and community meeting rooms.
Attention is now focused on the historic Administrative Building, which is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. The interior was damaged by fire and the roof was deteriorated, making the renovation of this building the greatest challenge by far. Yet, this building had the greatest significance as a historic landmark and a symbol of the legacy of Butler High School.
Each July, Butler Heritage Week is celebrated to focus attention on Butler’s legacy and the Butler Heritage Foundation’s goals. Events are planned to bring out-of-town alumni and Fiesta Day for Kids, a banquet, dance, and parade. The annual Foundation meeting held during Heritage Week is an opportunity to ask questions, make suggestions, and get involved. This year a new event, "The Taste of Butler" has been added, and the week will end with the Tailgate and Family Celebration to look back and share memories.
