“M” is for Mount Zion College

“M” is for Mount Zion College. Established in 1777 the institution started in a small log building as an all grades public school in Winnsboro. In 1785, the South Carolina legislature officially chartered the school as Mount Zion College one of three colleges it chartered on the same day. The all-male Mount Zion College, which included a great deal of elementary and preparatory learning for use of all ages, was housed in a substantial brick building. Although the Civil War interrupted operations, the school (now called Mount Zion Institute) was the first graded public school in the state outside Charleston. It continued operation throughout the first half of the twentieth century, eventually becoming a public high school. The 183rd and final commencement exercises for graduates of Mount Zion Institute were held in 1960 for sixty-seven graduates.