By Shellie Murdaugh
The Island News
GRAYS — Steps which once led up to a high school in Grays now stand alone in front of an open field overlooking abandoned structures.
Those steps and an abandoned boiler house which sit behind the former Grays Consolidated High School are the two structures citizens are being asked to provide feedback on to county officials. The area surrounding the steps and building contain Grays Community Park with basketball courts and a playground.
The county is in the process of creating a Capital Improvement Project, seeking input concerning Grays Community Park and the county’s efforts to stabilize deteriorating historic structures on the site of the former Grays Consolidated High School.
“We are asking the public to weigh in about some of the buildings that have been here, the improvements to the steps, and tearing down the old boiler house,” Jasper County Parks and Recreation Director Corey Bivens said. “We are trying to do a beautification process here at the park and make it a beautiful and safe park for everyone.”
History of Grays Consolidated High School
A historical marker now sits on the property where Grays Consolidated High School was constructed in 1927 before being rebuilt in 1931 following a fire. It was one of many schools built when small, rural, one or two-room schools were being consolidated into elementary schools or high schools.
The school had first grade through 11th grade and later added 12th grade around 1948, according to historical records. It closed during the early 1970’s and had been listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007. While the school had withstood the harsh weather conditions and some vandalism throughout the years, the structure eventually deteriorated to the point it was demolished in 2013.
Citizen input sought
County officials said the Capital Improvement Project plans include demolition of a block structure in the adjacent wooded area and the former boiler house. The structures, Bivens said, have become a safety hazard to those utilizing the park.
While Bivens said some citizens had replied on the county’s Facebook page to their requests for comments, he said he would like to see more responses about any changes sent to them.
“We want citizens to respond,” he said. “There are citizens who do not currently live in Jasper County, they might live in Hampton or other areas, that might want to send in a response. We want to make sure we don’t offend; we want to make sure we preserve the history and create new memories.”
Citizens can submit their comments until Nov. 15. to the Jasper County Development Services Office at the Clementa C. Pinckney Building at 358 Third Avenue in Ridgeland. Comments can be mailed to P.O. Box 1149, Ridgeland, S.C. 29926. The contact number for the office is 843-717-4119 and the email contact is ewlarson@jaspercountysc.gov.
Shellie Murdaugh, who joined The Island News in October 2026, formerly worked as a reporter for The Jasper County Sun Times and Bluffton Today. She also worked for newspapers in Hampton and Colleton counties in South Carolina and in North Carolina at The Richmond County Daily Journal. She can be reached at shelliemurdaugh@gmail.com.