Mobile Home Sales in Liberty Hill, SC

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) — The calendar may read October, but our Jefferson Award winner impacts Lowcountry students year-round. He recognized a troubling trend in his neighborhood, and decided to do something about it, after all he grew up there. Meet Robert Fludd, September’s Jefferson Award winner.

It runs through the heart of Liberty Hill. One of North Charleston’s oldest communities. A program designed to put kids on the right track.

A foundation built on the ABC’s. Words on the side of a building are put into action inside of it.

The Liberty Hill Literacy program born out of necessity.

“I understood the literacy gap between a lot of students going to High School with a third grade reading level,” said Robert Fludd.

Fludd started the program six years ago.

“We have been sort of blessed. We started out with twenty kids and now are are on board to reach one hundred,” said Fludd.

It is a sense of pride for Fludd. Like most of his kids, Fludd also grew up in Liberty Hill.

“I’m from a family of eight. Our parents instilled in us that we have got to give back. Each one to each one, I am my brothers keeper and it takes a village. Those concepts resonated with me my whole life,” said Fludd.

From a reading only program, Fludd has expanded its reach.

"We decided to just get all the skills for development, social skills, physical skills. emotional skills and mental skills. Through the years we added guidance and we partnered with the food bank for healthy meals every day. We partnered with Boeing, the School of the Arts and Academic Magnet for mentors,” said Fludd.

He has also flooded the children with new experiences including a trip to D.C last year.

A trip to Georgia is on the books for this year.

"We are taking them on Amtrak to Savannah. They see that train come up and down that track and never had opportunity to ride that train," said Fludd.

Larry Jackson was a part of Fludd’s inaugural class. Larry is now a ninth grader at North Charleston High School. He said his success can be traced back to the program.

"It is the exposure. The opportunity to say I did that. Just the smile and the brightness of the eyes is what gives me goose bumps all over my arms,” said Fludd.

Fludd has transformer lives and now they are riding the rails to a better tomorrow.

Through the years, the program has opened its doors to kids in neighboring communities.

Up next, Fludd has brought in mentors to create a robotics team from the groud up.

The Jefferson Awards Foundation was started in 1972 by former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onasis. It honors those in the area of community service and volunteerism.

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - This summer students are offering their time and energy to visit and help other communities for what they’re calling a “Week of Hope.”

The mission trip organization Group Cares has nearly 2,700 students participating in volunteer work this year. They come from across the country to new places and get to know locals, working on whatever projects need some manpower.

In North Charleston, these volunteers are spending a couple of days clearing out lots owned by Liberty Hill Redevelopment Group, to help the community maximize the use of their land.

Elijah Shreffler, a 14-year-old volunteer, says he wanted to give back to a new community and meet new people.

“It’s very inspirational because after all this work and progress you realize what you can do with just a couple of people and a little bit of time,” Shreffler says.

Micah Braznell, a 12-year-old, says his youth group was singing up and he felt like he needed to be a part of something bigger than himself.

“The guys that we were helping out, they were dumbfounded that we could do all this in such a short amount of time,” Braznell said.

Craig Mitchell with the Liberty Hill Redevelopment Group called the volunteers “worker bees,” saying he’s never seen more enthusiastic and hard-working people. Now, he calls them his friends and hopes they can stay in touch to follow how the neighborhood grows.

“We met new friends over these last couple of days and we are going to ensure that we keep the relationship and maybe one day we can go to their neighborhoods and help them because it’s our turn today and maybe tomorrow it’s theirs,” Mitchell says.

Austin Vansparrentak, an 18-year-old, says it’s been a fun experience doing yard work and solving problems while knowing they are accomplishing the community’s goals.

“Someone drove past us and they were asking us what we were doing and we told them and they were so thankful for how much we were helping out. It means a lot, especially with how much history this neighborhood has in the state,” Vansparrentak said.

Liberty Hill Redevelopment Group members say they are grateful to the group for coming to Charleston and hope to work with Group Cares again to better more communities in Charleston and across the country.

Copyright 2022 WCSC. All rights reserved.

Residents in Liberty Hill, one of North Charleston’s oldest historic neighborhoods, have made several strides recently to highlight their area’s history, but one effort has caused dissension.

And the city was caught in the middle.

North Charleston’s Planning Commission unanimously voted to rename Upjohn Road, a short residential street off East Montague Avenue, to Lecque Street in honor of one of the neighborhood’s most active families and original founders. But it wasn’t an easy call.

William and Plenty Lecque were two of the four original freemen who acquired land in 1871 — only six years after slavery ended — to the African American settlement they called Liberty Hill.

Liberty Hill native Carolyn Lecque, who proposed the renaming, said she and other family members wanted to honor those who originally owned much of the property in that area.

Carolyn’s grandmother, Anna Lecque, owned land where modest houses were built in the 1940s and rented out to workers at the nearby naval shipyard.

Anna would cook dinners, and she and her husband would deliver them to service members in a wheelbarrow, Carolyn Lecque said.

Descendants of the Lecque family became midwives, business owners and bricklayers responsible for many of the structures still standing in the historic black community. The Lecques are active currently in the neighborhood’s schools, churches and neighborhood organizations.

“Our contributions speak for themselves,” she said. “We feel it would not be robbery to give them that honor.”

Carolyn Lecque said she and others have had not heard of the origins of “Upjohn,” and there apparently isn’t any surviving documentation that explains why the street was named that.

Still, others believe “Upjohn” also honors one of the area’s early residents.

Leroy Fyall, 91, grew up on Upjohn Road and said he thinks the name was a nickname for John Middleton, his grandfather.

Fyall advocated that the street keep its current name “because it’s been that way.”

The Middletons were also the first ones to live on the street, Fyall said.

The native added that the Middleton family has also been active in helping to establish the community, with Fyall himself helping to found the Liberty Hill Improvement Council years ago.

Descendants of the Middleton family were angry at the Planning Commission’s decision, but Fyall said he since has told his relatives to “let it go.”

The Planning Commission spends most of its time considering rezoning requests, which go before City Council for final approval. However, the commission has the final say when it comes to approving plats, subdivision variances and street names.

City ordinances give the commission a wide latitude when it comes to changing street names. It permits the change if there’s a duplication of names that causes confusion or when a name change would simplify giving directions. It also allows a change upon “any good and just reason that may appear to the Planning Commission.”

Planning Commission member Ed Astle, who voted in favor of the switch after hearing both sides talk about their family history last month, said his decision was based on who offered the better presentation. Still, he noted the decision upset some folks.

“The planning commission was kind of stuck in the middle,” he said. “How do you divide the baby?”

Astle, who said he hadn’t heard of either Lecque or Upjohn until October’s meeting, admitted he learned something new about North Charleston.

Meanwhile, many current residents on Upjohn support the change.

Asha Ferguson grew up in the neighborhood and is hoping for progress in a community that’s had its share of struggles. But she also hopes the area maintains its history.

Though Ferguson wasn’t aware of the history behind Upjohn until recently, she felt that Lecque would be more appropriate. She said the change could pique the interest of younger residents unaware of the area’s history.

“It would bring up more of a conversation,” she said.

The Upjohn debate has come up before, but the Planning Commission rejected an earlier name change request years ago.

While the decision didn’t turn out the way Fyall hoped, he said it won’t lessen his love for his neighborhood. A retired minister and United States Marines World War II veteran who’s traveled the world, Fyall said he hasn’t seen any place that compares to the North Charleston neighborhood.

Though he currently lives in Pepperhill several miles away, he still swings through Liberty Hill most every day out of habit.

“I come here to sleep, and before the day is over, I’ll be to Liberty Hill,” he said.

YORK COUNTY, S.C. (WBTV) - Deputies say they seized 80 dogs, meth, illegal guns and other animals from a home in York, S.C. Monday morning.

In total, 80 dogs, two monkeys and a bird were the animals seized from the home. The 83 animals are now in the care of York County Animal Control.

After several months of investigation about poor living conditions and concerns of the health of the animals at a house off West Liberty Hill Road, deputies arrested 63-year-old David Andrew Barber, 63 and seized the animals. Deputies say the man was selling the dogs on the internet.

This is the home where the @YCSO_SC seized 80 dogs, two monkeys and a bird from what they say were "horrible living conditions." They say the man who lived here was selling the dogs on the internet. @WBTV_News Tonight at 4 & 5 -- I'll tell you where the animals are now. pic.twitter.com/j8XB8rUzmw

— Paige Pauroso (@PaigePauroso) July 26, 2021

On Monday, York County deputies along with York County Animal Control officers responded to a home on West Liberty Hill Road after reports of dozens of animals in unhealthy living conditions.

Responding deputies and animal control officers located 80 small breed dogs, two monkeys, and one bird in very poor living conditions inside and outside of the home.

“The smell about knocked me over. There were feces everywhere. Flies everywhere,” said Trent Faris, the public information officer for the York County Sheriff’s office. “I can tell you I walked into the house. Very very poor living conditions. Not only for him but also the animals.”

After investigating, preliminary charges against Barber are multiple counts of ill treatment of animals, hoarding of animals, and potentially other charges are pending after veterinary examination of the animals.

In addition during the search, deputies discovered methamphetamine and seized multiple firearms.

“We are thankful for the team work between our deputies and animal control to make sure these animals get the care they need, and hopefully in the future a loving home.” said Sheriff Kevin Tolson.

Deputies say they seized 80 dogs, meth, illegal guns and other animals from a home in York, S.C. Monday morning.

The only circumstances where law enforcement can legally remove an animal is where exigent circumstances exist or by court order or search warrant. Exigent circumstances would be imminent danger of death or destruction of evidence.

All animals will be examined by a veterinarian for health conditions for future placement.

This investigation is ongoing and deputies say there’s no evidence of dogfighting or baiting.

Copyright 2021 WBTV. All rights reserved.

CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) - A former Liberty Hill Academy teacher who filed a complaint with the South Carolina Human Affairs Commission said the harassment she experienced at the school went ignored by school and district officials.

“It got to the point I wasn’t going shopping in my area because I didn’t want to go to a local store and run into these kids or their parents because I was scared,” former Liberty Hill Academy Secretary Mary Wood said.

Wood was one of four Liberty Hill Academy staff members that filed harassment complaints to the state, detailing the harassment they experienced at the North Charleston alternative school.

Three teachers and a secretary have filed complaints with the commission over the past six months with the most recent coming on Nov. 13.

Wood claims she was fired while on FMLA for medically authorized leave.

“It’s affected me to the point when I think of the school I get really upset,” Wood said.

Wood worked at Liberty Hill Academy for 18 years, and said the last two years is when the school took a turn.

She said in that time she had to be hospitalized after a student brought pepper spray into the school, was sexually harassed, and was called vulgar names on a daily basis.

Wood said she went to the school and district several times and said nothing was done.

“It was hard working there, but I had no choice. I had to work. When it got to the point it was so bad I reached out to our ER department and I met someone off campus because I was at my wits end I didn’t know what to do,” Wood said. “Basically, I was told that I was burned out' You probably need to look for a new job.' Every time things would occur I would speak to the principal via usually email because you could hardly get him to sit because of so much chaos, and it was various times nothing was done.”

Wood said she had students rip her keys off her neck in the hallway and said a school administrator did nothing.

“Suck it, kiss it, and that was just so degrading,” Wood said. “It just gets old because you’re hearing that all day long, f**** b****, and it wore me down, it really wore me down. To be honest my self-esteem is kind of gone because I was in that environment so long and had to endure what I had to endure.”

Wood said the harassment has taken a toll emotionally and is seeing a therapist to deal with the stress and anxiety she had to endure.

“It has caused me to suffer a lot of low self-worth because I felt like no one cared and I just still am in awe. To be honest with you if I see someone from the school, even the principal, I just get really shaky because what he put me through there was no reason for it. I was a human being,” Wood said.

Previously released documents show 26 incidents of staff members who were injured on school grounds.

In a recent investigation, Live 5 News uncovered more than 4,000 student disciplinary incidents were filed at the school in 2017, yet nearly half were never processed.

The Charleston County School District previously said they have no comments on the complaints.

Copyright 2018 WCSC. All rights reserved.