Winthrop University – Rock Hill, South Carolina

Located in Rock Hill, Winthrop University was founded in 1886 as the Winthrop Training School for Teachers. It was named for Robert Charles Winthrop, a noted philanthropist and head of the Peabody Education Board.

In 1891, the school was renamed the South Carolina Industrial and Winthrop Normal College and became the first state-supported college for women in South Carolina. The name was changed to Winthrop College, the South Carolina College for Women in 1920. Winthrop remained a female college until the early 1970s when it became coeducational.

The above picture shows Tillman Hall, the first building constructed on the campus. Originally called Main Building, Tillman Hall was completed in 1894 and is one of the few remaining examples of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture in South Carolina. The building was renamed in 1962 to honor former South Carolina governor and early advocate of the school Benjamin R. Tillman. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.

SCIWAY thanks photographer Gary Killough of Summerville for sharing this picture he took in April 2012.