I didn't get any response from the local library either. What I did was keep looking up the county (Pickens) on Google and searching various sites to familarize myself with the material available on the area. I also went to and still go to amazon.com and ebay and type in the location and see what books are available on the subject.
I have also been to Rootsweb.com -the section called SCGENWEB I think. They have a section on the area I am interested in and as part of that they listed references to materials on African Americans in that area. I tried tracking some of the books they mentioned. You can also look at the books and check the references used in the footnotes. I have additional material that way.
I found the info on the teachers posted on the internet. I had been trying to buy the book/pamphlet for several years. I even wrote the author whom I later found was deceased. I couldn't find it anywhere then up it popped on rootsweb where someone had posted it.
Hope this helps.....Oh, you could try calling the court house and asking if they have a listing of teachers going back to the 1870's.
Whatever you do, don't give up!