04/21/2026
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media contact Chris Jones 803-427-5053 or [email protected]
In memory of the 103rd anniversary of the tragic Cleveland School Fire, the Cleveland School Memorial Foundation (CSMF) along with Beulah Christian Church invites the public to attend a special memorial ceremony. This ceremony will take place on Sunday May 17, 2026 beginning at 09:00 am at the Beulah Christian Church, located at 820 Beulah Church Road, Camden, SC 29020.
The Cleveland School Fire impacted many families in what is now known as the Charlotte-Thompson area of Kershaw County, just a few miles outside of Camden, SC. With nearly 300 in attendance that night, 77 lives were lost and many were injured while attempting to escape the devastating fire that occurred on May 17, 1923. The fire prompted life-saving changes to local, state, and national fire codes to help ensure a loss of this magnitude would not occur again.
The CSMF seeks to keep the memory alive and maintain both the memorial site at 410 Cleveland School Road, Camden and the mass burial site at Beulah Christian Church. For more information, visit the CSMF website at www.clevelandschoolsc.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/clevelandschoolsc
Cleveland School was a rural South Carolina school that was constructed circa 1908-1909. The school was two stories and contained 3 classrooms. Prior to the fire, nearly 100 students were enrolled at the school. The school was located in Kershaw County, just a few miles east of Camden.
