Butler School served Hartsville's black community for over sixty years. Many prominent African Americans graduated from Butler, including Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Cornell A. Wilson Jr.; Dr. Gerald A. Wilson, 144th President of the South Carolina Medical Association; Dr. Alvin Heatley, executive director of Darlington County Community Action Agency; and artist Willie "Big Mook" Johnson.
Originally known as the Darlington County Training School, the school was renamed in 1939 for Rev. Henry H. Butler, who was its principal from 1909-1946. When it closed in 1982 Butler was a junior high and high school.
