Ruby – School History and Festivals in South Carolina

Get to know Ruby in South Carolina through the town’s history and its annual festivals. When planning your trip, it’s worth keeping these themes separate: the school history and the anniversary celebrations appeal to different interests. Historical dates provide a different timeframe from an annual festival date.

School history in Ruby

Ruby’s school district was the first in South Carolina to fully desegregate without a court order. In 1965, Chesterfield County School District No. 6 decided to bring all Black and white students in grades 1 through 12 together in the same schools. The two statements emphasize different points: the first places Ruby in a statewide context, while the second gives the year, the responsible school district, and the grade levels involved. This distinction between a historical standing and a specific decision makes Ruby’s school history easier to understand.

Railroad and church history

The tracks of the Cheraw & Lancaster Railroad reached Ruby in 1902; their arrival contributed to the town’s growth. Ruby Baptist Church was founded in 1903, and its building was constructed in 1928. There were 25 years between the founding and the construction of the building. These dates mark two different steps in the church’s history. The railroad tracks reached Ruby one year before the church was founded. Compared with the 1965 school decision, the dates mark a sequence from the early 20th century to the later history of the schools. To understand the history, it helps to consider the founding and the construction as separate milestones. The 1965 school decision came 37 years after the church building was constructed in 1928. By contrast, the railroad’s arrival in 1902 and the church’s founding in 1903 were only one year apart; this helps distinguish the closely spaced early dates in the town’s history from the later school history.

Annual festivals and Pork & Piggin’

The Ruby Jubilee is an annual celebration in the heart of Ruby. Ruby also hosts the annual Jewel City Jubilee. As part of the Jewel City Jubilee, Pork & Piggin’ is a public barbecue cook-off held on Main Street. Visitors can watch the teams prepare barbecue for the competition. The Ruby Jubilee is generally described as taking place in the heart of town; Main Street is the specific venue for Pork & Piggin’. Both festivals take place annually, although individual events may change. If you’re traveling for the cook-off, check the date and schedule in advance.

Planning your trip around what interests you

The annual festivals offer a date-specific way to visit, while the railroad, church, and school history provide an overview of different aspects of the town over time. This can help you decide whether to get to know Ruby through a festival date or its historical themes, without mixing the two approaches to travel.

Discover more destinations: Cheraw, Pageland.

For the broader travel overview: Chesterfield County.