Mt. Zion Institute High School is a historic school complex (a collection of three buildings) located at Winnsboro, South Carolina.[2]
Mt. Zion Institute High School | |
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   | |
| Location | 250 N. Walnut St., Winnsboro, South Carolina |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 34°23′02″N 81°05′02″W / 34.38389°N 81.08389°W |
| Area | 3 acres (1.2 ha) |
| Built | 1777 |
| NRHP reference No. | 100004445[1] |
| Added to NRHP | September 30, 2019 |
History
editThe school was constructed on a land which was donated in 1777 to Mt. Zion Society for establishing Mt. Zion Institute. It was envisioned as a preparatory school in the Upstate for the sons of "wealthy planters" throughout South Carolina.[3] Closed in 1780 by occupying British forces, it was reopened in 1784 under the leadership of Rev. Thomas McCaule, a Presbyterian minister trained at the College of New Jersey.[4]
In 1878, the school converted from a private academy to a public school, becoming the Upstate's first public school and the second outside of Charleston.[3]
The current structures, all constructed by 1936, include an elementary school, a high school, a cafeteria, a gymnasium, an auditorium, and a teacherage (seen below). The elementary school building, constructed in 1922, was destroyed by fire in 1981. The other buildings continued to serve Winnsboro's students until 1990.[5] At the time of closure, it was the site of Mt. Zion Elementary school.[3]
In 2018, the Fairfield County Council voted to renovate the building with the hope of utilizing it for administrative buildings for the county.[5] Costs were estimated at approximately $8.9 million.[5] It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2019.[6]
Notable alumni
edit- James Henry Carlisle, former president of Wofford College
- William Porcher DuBose, American priest
- William McMillan, Delegate to the 6th United States Congress from the Northwest Territory
- David R. Evans, U.S. House Representative from South Carolina (1813–1815)
- John Taylor, 51st Governor of South Carolina (1826–1828)
- John Hugh Means, 64th Governor of South Carolina (1850–1852)
- David Wyatt Aiken, U.S. House Representative from South Carolina (1877–1887)
- John Bratton, U.S. House Representative from South Carolina (1884–1885)
- States Rights Gist, Confederate Army brigadier general during the American Civil War
References
edit- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "Mt. Zion Institute High School [S10817720045]". South Carolina Department of Archives & History. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
- ^ a b c "Mt. Zion Institute". SC Picture Project. 2015-02-04. Retrieved 2022-04-15.
- ^ "Mount Zion College". South Carolina Encyclopedia. University of South Carolina, Institute for Southern Studies. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
- ^ a b c Cisneros, Jenna (22 October 2018). "Renovations to come for dilapidated Mt. Zion Institute in Winnsboro". WIS (TV). Retrieved 15 April 2022.
- ^ "National Register of Historic Places; Notification of Pending Nominations and Related Actions". Federal Register. September 13, 2019. ISSN 0097-6326. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
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