South Carolina Department of Archives and History
National Register Properties in South Carolina

Mount Zion Rosenwald School, Florence County (5040 Liberty Chapel Rd., Florence vicinity)
S1081772102001 S1081772102002 S1081772102003 S1081772102004 S1081772102005
Facade Right Elevation Right Rear Oblique Left Elevation Interior

Mt. Zion Rosenwald School was built in 1925 as a rural black school. It was significant for its role in the general development of public education for blacks in the state from 1895 to 1954 and also for its role in one of America’s largest non-residential experiments in standardized architecture intended to provide “separate but equal” facilities for white and black school children. The school also acts as a reminder of Julius Rosenwald Fund’s commitment to the improvement of black education and racial cooperation in the south in the early twentieth century. Construction of the project was funded in part by the Julius Rosenwald Fund, which helped build more than 5,300 black school buildings across the south from 1917-1932. To receive money from the Fund, the local black community and local white community both had to contribute. Most of the schools were phased out in the 1940s and 1950s as improved roads and the introduction of school buses allowed consolidation of students into more efficient and larger facilities. The Mt. Zion Rosenwald School was typical in construction of a “two or three teacher” type school. The school is a rectangular frame building with tall exterior windows designed to take advantage of the climate and available light. Listed in the National Register October 12, 2001.

View the complete text of the nomination form for this National Register property. In addition, the Historic Resources of The Rosenwald School Building Program in South Carolina, 1917-1932 includes historical background information for this and other related National Register properties. (Large file 5.45MB)

Most National Register properties are privately owned and are not open to the public. The privacy of owners should be respected. Not all properties retain the same integrity as when originally documented and listed in the National Register due to changes and modifications over time.

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