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The Negro school Brown Chapel was a wooden building that could no longer accommodate student on fairfield road so a brick building was put up. At the Browns elementary, Mrs. Electra Waddell was a teacher, a graduate of Tuskegee College. Other teachers: Miss Etta mae Humphries, Mrs. Will Freeman. Benny Mayes was instrumental in building the Brown's Chapel Church on fairfield where a parsonage also stood. The school was named for the superintendent of the district Rev. Brown. When the school became consolidated the high school students were bussed to Foster Grove High School. the superintendent Rev. P.C. Carter.

Mrs. Waddell as one of the first teacher in Brown's Elementary School. She taught their until her healt failed.

Mrs. Waddell was also once the principal for Brooklyn School a Rosenwald School built in 1927-1929.

Rosenwald School architectual make up school size . Here is some information of how they established these schools.

Tuskegee Institute prepared the plans for the earliest Rosenwald buildings, published in a 1915 pamphlet "THE NEGRO RURAL SCHOOL AND ITS RELATION TO THE COMMMUNITY."

Professors R.R. Taylor, Director of the Department of Mechanical Industries, and W.A. Hazel, of the Division of Architecture, created designs for a 1 teacher school, two variations on a 5 teacher school, plus an industrial building, a privy (outdoor toilet), and two residences for teachers.

In 1920, control of the schoolbuilding program shifted to the new Rosenwald Foundation office in Nashville, where director S.L. Smith drew up a fresh set of designs.

These first appeared in book form in 1924 as COMMUNITY SCHOOL PLANS (shown on this website) and remained in print with revised editions into the 1940s. Smith made careful use of natural light, providing separate designs for buildings that faced east-west and buildings that faced north-south. Schools ranged in size from 1 to 7 teachers, and there were also plans for privies, industrial buildings, and teachers cottages .

More up todate information the Waddell(s); at least one descendant still lives in Chesnee, S.C. off Waddell alley behind the old Ice house and directly behind Chesnee hardware. The Waddell also at one time own the bldg where the Red White and Blue Cafe is.

Land was donated to by Mr. Head of Highway 11 to the Mckinney's family. The community (Also known as Brooklyn) began using the land for church services. A brush arbor at first and then Mckinney's chapel was built. Later the church was renamed Brooklyn CME and in the late 1920's a school was built.

The Chesnee School built in 1911 had six classrooms. The "Negro" school was a wooden building that could no longer accommodate students on fairfield road, so a brick building was put up; Brown's Chapel elementary. Mrs. Electra Waddell was a teacher, a graduate of Tuskegee College was one of the teacher(s) and she also taught at an historical Rosenwald school outside the city limits of Chesnee. It was called the Brooklyn Color School. Other teachers of Brown's Chapel were Miss Etta mae Humphries, Mrs. Will Freeman.

Benny Mayes was instrumental in building the Brown's Chapel Church on fairfield where a parsonage also stood. The school was named for the superintendent of the district Rev. Brown. When the school became consolidated the high school students were bussed to Foster Grove High School. the superintendent Rev. P.C. Carter.

Chesnee has grown into a popular small city that still keeps a hometown image. We have many local heroes and the city is accessible from Highway 221 and Highway 11.

One of our hero(s) Brigadier General Stephen Twitty, Coach Dean Jones and Col. Howard L. Painter to name a few.