Long ago, the area which is now known as Welcome was part of the unexplored foothills in the section of Carolina called “back country.” Here the land was marked with tall pines alternating with grassy open spaces. Wild turkeys roamed in plenty, and the cool quiet of the forest was broken only by the soft tread of deer, or the chatter of many small animals.
Through the foothills of the up country, ran and eighteen mile ridge. From on side the water drained off into a river now known as the Reedy, while that on the other side drained off into what we now know as the Saluda. The Indians knew this ridge, and followed it on their journeys northward.
The Indian trail along the foothill ridge was learned and used by the first scouts to come into the upcountry. Soon it became worn and marked by travel, until riders and coaches came to depend on it as a highway.
One settler, so legend goes, built an inn on this road, and having a white horse of which he was very fond, he named his hostel the White Horse Inn. No doubt he rode this white horse many a time up and down this crest, until the passage became known far and wide, as the White Horse Road.
In 1909 on the White Horse Road, the population had grown until the need for a school was felt. By this time the community had become known as Welcome, and the school acquired the same name. The building was a two room affair, and served its purpose for only a short time. Some say this first little school burned down. It no longer stands, and no picture of it has yet been found.
In 1946, Welcome was the third largest high school of Greater Greenville. The community around the school was beginning to grow and White Horse Road was taking on the aspect of a boulevard.
Today our school serves only elementary students from kindergarten through fifth grade and our building has 72 rooms which includes classrooms, offices, gym, library, art room and computer labs.
With the expansion and renovation, Welcome Elementary School now has 37 regular classrooms with regulation-sized gym, art room, music room, science lab, media center, media production room, and computer lab. Inside the office complex is a health room with waiting area, triage, and cots for patients. The cafeteria has two full-service lines on one end, and on the other end is a stage for PTA performances. Welcome Elementary has the following amenities:
