A New Day at De La HoweEstablished in 1797 -- GrowING again in 2018!
Across four centuries -- the 1700s, 1800s, 1900s and the 21st century -- the historic John de la Howe School has held promise for the young people of South Carolina.
The roots of our success run deep, thanks to the benevolence of Dr. John de la Howe, an immigrant who became an American Patriot and an education visionary.
After immigrating to South Carolina in 1760, Dr. de la Howe established his medical practice in Charleston. He became friends with Henry Laurens, who introduced him to the French Huguenot settlers in the Abbeville District, now McCormick.
Dr. de la Howe fell in love with the beauty and serenity of the Upcountry, and he established his farm and home, named Lethe, in the undeveloped wilderness.
Upon his death in 1797, Dr. de la Howe willed Lethe to become a home for orphan children and an "agricultural seminary" where they could develop skills for a lifetime and prosper.
The John de la Howe School became one of the nation's first schools to offer a manual education program for youth. Since then, our story is one of achievement and success, and we are proud of those who have been part of our history!
We are the oldest institution in South Carolina educating children under college age. Thousands of children have become productive citizens and leaders of our state and nation through their studies at De La Howe.
Our forest, comprising more than 900 acres, is a National Natural Landmark -- one of only six such sites in South Carolina.
We are on the National Register of Historic Places and also on the S.C. Heritage Corridor.
De La Howe is on the Little River Blueway, an outdoor adventure area where visitors are surrounded by wildlife.
Because agribusiness is South Carolina's leading industry, we are returning to our roots and developing a School for Agriculture that will educate students for careers in the many fields associated with agriculture.
Agriculture and forestry have an economic impact of about $42 billion on South Carolina and are responsible for more than 200,000 jobs! The Palmetto State has more than 25,000 farms, and this number is growing!
Already, De La Howe has a working farm and livestock.
We are becoming farm to table!
We have a thriving Greenhouse business!
We have hundreds of acres of farmland, and we have a spacious campus that can be an incubator for growth and learning.
Our roots are strong, we are working to bring change, and we are building on our foundation! The opportunities are limitless!
We believe that our future is indicative of the sun in the Future Farmers of America logo: "The rising sun signifies progress and holds a promise that tomorrow will bring a new day, glowing with opportunity."
This is a new day at De La Howe where everything old is NEW again!
A School for Agriculture at De La Howe will be the FIRST statewide, residential school for agricultural studies IN THE NATION for high school students and will support the Palmetto State's thriving agricultural businesses!
Farming and agribusiness in the 21st century are exciting: “Today’s food and agricultural industry is bursting with cutting-edge technology, science and research—from genomics and microbiology to artificial intelligence, robotics and informatics." -- Beth Bechdol, AgriNovus
The historic John de la Howe School has been and will continue to be a success story: Established in 1797 ... A State Agency since 1918 ... And GROWING to become a School for Agriculture!
