Born into enslavement c.a. 1816, Rev. Frank S. Morris was a powerhouse political and religious leader of Anderson and greater South Carolina's African American communities. Following emancipation, Rev. Morris founded several churches across the state including Flat Rock Baptist Church in Walhalla, Morris Chapel in Greenwood, Mt. Zion Baptist in Belton, and many others. He was also the Rocky River Baptist Association's first moderator, elected in 1868. Rev. Morris was a leading Republican organizer who fought against black voter suppression both violent and political. In addition, he was involved in African American education in the state and was a founding member of Anderson's Greeley Institute. Frank Morris passed away in Anderson in 1887, and in 1908, Morris College was founded and named after the pioneering black leader.