Friends of Mt. Zion Institute

Looking for updates?  See note below.

Welcome to the homepage of the Friends of Mt. Zion Institute in Winnsboro, South Carolina.  Formed in April 2008, this group, quickly dubbed FOMZI, launched a dedicated effort to save our beloved school buildings from demolition planned for later that year.  

On a site whose use has been educational since 1777, these 1936 buildings have stood closed and silent since 1991.  FOMZI mounted an organized campaign of research into their suitability for renovation and potential uses for them. 

Aided by a primary benefactor and a town council willing to hear us out, we set about to establish not only the desirability of saving them but the feasibility as well.  The result was conclusive ... the buildings were most certainly salvageable and there was much interest in seeing it happen.

This web page became our story board; and Fairfield County residents, former MZI students, plus many with simply an interest in history and restoration projects have followed the effort on behalf of Mt. Zion.

Over two years later, we're on the brink of seeing work begin on a facility that will be what we envisioned:  a testament to the educational uses that came before it and an on-going benefit to the whole community.

The Friends of Mt. Zion Institute are grateful to have played a part in that and invite you to continue to check in with us for updated photos and progress reports.

Updated 1/21/2012

We've reclaimed our HOME page as an introduction to the MZI story.  We'll still feature our most recent updates on the ANNOUNCEMENTS page and others have been moved to UPDATES or archived  in a drop-down under that link.

A site overhaul may be due .... but this is, after all, a "story" and we're not yet ready to skip any of the chapters!

Look for us on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Friends-of-Mt-Zion-Institute/293249657359691

And YouTube!

Our recent promotional video can be found  here on our website or at

http://youtu.be/ft2iA5jYqwY

Click here to read 2008, 2009,  2010 and 2011 articles on Mt. Zion from the Herald Independent in Winnsboro

See New Article from September 2011

      Mt. Zion 1860 ..... burned 1866

                              1880's

                        Built 1936

 The Future?