South Piedmont Community College (SPCC) was originally designated as the Ansonville Industrial Education Center in November 1962 by action of the State Department of Public Instruction. Trustees of the General William A. Smith Trust, public school officials, and local individuals assisted in the establishment of the center in Ansonville. State, local, federal, and Smith Trust Funds supported the center. From this beginning in 1962, the Ansonville Industrial Education Center made steady progress. Classes were offered in many parts of Anson County in addition to those held at the center.
On December 2, 1967, the Anson County Board of Education and County Commissioners officially appointed a local Board of Trustees. As a result, the Ansonville Industrial Education Center became Anson Technical Institute, a unit of the Department of Community Colleges of North Carolina. Progress in fulfillment of the purpose of the Institute led to the authorization by the North Carolina General Assembly of Anson Technical Institute as a separately chartered institution on July 1, 1971. The Governor appointed four additional trustees to the governing board.
Further progress, larger enrollment, and additional support from the community enabled Anson Technical Institute to acquire land, obtain additional funds, and complete construction of a 28,000 square foot building in Polkton in 1977. To better reflect the offerings of the institution, the Board of Trustees on June 7, 1979, changed the name to Anson Technical College.