Historic Keith School Museum opens digital hub with free Wi-Fi, computers

The Berkeley County Chamber of Commerce recently celebrated the opening of its first community resource hub in the county, located at the Keith School Museum off Clements Ferry Road.

 

The initiative aims to bridge the digital divide by providing residents with access to computer workspaces, free Wi-Fi, and online services. The hub is equipped with webcam computers, printers, eight Chromebooks, and desks for visitors to use.

 

“To be able to bring these facilities to these communities, it’s life-changing,” said Todd Buddin, president of the Berkeley Chamber.

 

The hub offers access to telehealth services, online education, substance abuse resources, and training on how to use the devices for those with less technical proficiency.

 

Buddin said the resource hub plan has been in the works since 2015, and now will provide Cainhoy and Clements Ferry communities with essential online resources.

 

The Keith School is one of five new resource hubs coming to the Berkeley County area, Buddin said. The $12.8 million plan will see four other hubs located at the Cross Community Center, Tri-Community Center, Alvin Recreation Center, and Wassamassaw Recreation Center, and Buddin anticipates they will open within the next few months.

 

The new resource hub, along with the four additional hubs, will be accessible to everyone, not just Berkeley County residents.

 

Dr. Delores Dacosta, executive director of the South Carolina Commission of Minority Affairs, highlighted how the new resource hubs will bridge the gap in rural communities that don’t always have access to computers or the internet.

 

“Berkeley is my home. Therefore, I know the need, and I know the resource hubs will answer a lot of prayers. We have issues in rural areas like transportation, getting to our doctor’s office or health facilities…. Technology is going to bring that to you. Now you will be able to reach and receive the quality care that you need.”

 

With the first hub housed inside the historic Keith School Museum, Cainhoy resident and advocate Vernelle Dickerson said the school, known as a decades-long staple for the education of African American students in Berkeley County, will continue its commitment to teaching and instruction.

 

“(It was) built in the 1920s by descendants and local people,” Dickerson said. “By the thirties, approximately 70 students in grades one through six attended the school and were instructed by two teachers.”

 

In its final years, the school had grown to four teachers and about 100 students. 

 

“Back then, it was life-changing, and now, to kind of go full circle, (it’s) pretty extraordinary,” the chamber’s Buddin said.

 

He added that he hopes the school will bring digital literacy and workforce development to Berkeley County, and encourages other counties to take note and expand similar resources to its rural communities.