Schoolhouse Inferno: 77 Lives Lost in Cleveland Tragedy

A devastating fire ripped through the Cleveland school building in Kershaw County, South Carolina, on the fateful night of May 17, 1923. The inferno claimed the lives of 77 men, women, and children, leaving a trail of heartbreak and unanswered questions in its wake. As the community struggles to come to terms with the tragedy, a scathing investigation by John J. McMahen, the State Insurance Commissioner, has shed light on the preventable negligence that led to the disaster.