Robert Smalls School was built in 1953 as a segregated school for African American students. Its construction was funded through South Carolina’s school equalization program, which supported both white and black schools but aimed to equalize African American educational facilities and uphold the doctrine of separate but equal in order to avoid racial integration. Designed by the firm of Hopkins, Baker & Gill of Florence, S.C., the school’s Colonial Revival aesthetic was heavily influenced by Cheraw, Incorporated, a group of local leaders who sought to keep new construction in the area consistent with Cheraw’s historic character. Its architecture distinguishes it from other equalization schools, which were usually built in a mid-century modern style.