Near Midway in Scott County, Kentucky — The American South (East South Central)
Zion Hill Community
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, March 28, 2021
1. Zion Hill Community Marker
Located off Paynes Depot Road in Scott County, Zion Hill is one
of several remaining hamlets in central Kentucky. Hamlets were
established by formerly enslaved persons in Scott County and other
surrounding counties after the Civil War. Residents typically worked
as domestic and farm laborers on nearby estates, practiced skilled
trades, such as blacksmithing and masonry, or worked in the horse
industry as grooms, handlers, and jockeys. While not exempt from
the inequalities of Reconstruction, hamlets such as Zion Hill provided
independence, property ownership, and a close-knit community
for newly emancipated African Americans in central Kentucky.Zion Hill, originally known as Lenerson, quickly expanded to nearly 250 residents, two stores, and a church. A second church and schoolhouse were added later. In 1929, one of Kentucky's 158 Rosenwald Schools was constructed at Zion Hill. Whitney M. Young, who served as president of the Lincoln Institute in Shelby County, attended Zion Hill's first school.
Caption: Zion Hill Rosenwald School
Photo Credit: Fisk University, John Hope and Aurelia E. Franklin
this page online
African American Hamlet Map Credit: Reprinted by permission of American Geographical Society (AGS).
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1929.
Location. 38° 7.702′ N, 84° 38.201′ W. Marker is near Midway, Kentucky, in Scott County. Marker is on Weisenberger Mill Road, 0.6 miles south of Leestown Road (U.S. 62/421), on the right when traveling south. Marker is at bridge over South Elkhorn Creek. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Midway KY 40347, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. History of Weisenberger Mill (here, next to this marker); Zion Hill / Zion Hill School (approx. half a mile away); Caleb Wallace's Law Office (approx. 1.7 miles away); Mt. Vernon Baptist Church (approx. 1.8 miles away); Audubon (approx. 1.9 miles away); The John Graham House (approx. 2.2 miles away); Midway Freedman's School (approx. 2.7 miles away); Second Christian Church, Midway (approx. 2.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Midway.
Also see . . . Zion Hill (Scott County, KY). Notable Kentucky African Americans Database entry. (Submitted on April 4, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, March 28, 2021
2. Zion Hill Community Marker
This marker is on the right.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 4, 2021. It was originally submitted on April 4, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 218 times since then and 80 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 4, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
