There is no better place to start the tour other than the Historic Horseshoe. The Horseshoe is known as the original campus of South Carolina College and was built primarily by slaves out of slave-made brick. On the backside of the president's mansion, you will see what is left of one of the original outbuildings that housed the slaves. Slaves were vital in the day-to-day operations of the college and were owned by faculty, private citizens, and the college itself. Students were not allowed to bring slaves to college. As a University, we understand the importance of slave contributions and have recognized them through plaques on the horseshoe. In addition to the slave made brick, many bricks from the horseshoe have also come from the old Booker T. Washington high school, an African American high school during time of segregation. In place of the high school, the university still uses this building as a computing lab and auditorium for special events. If you visit the Booker T. Washington building, you will find the walls covered in African American history. Another building embedded in African American history on the horseshoe is Rutledge College. After the Civil War, the South Carolina General Assembly recognized the need for trained black teachers. In 1873, Rutledge College, the first college built in 1805, housed the State Normal School for Teachers to train African American teachers. This school lasted until 1877 when the school shut down.