Zion Hill (Scott County, KY)

Also referred to as a village, Zion Hill is located in the southern part of Scott County off of Paynes Depot Road near the Woodford/Fayette County line.

The community was developed prior to the end of slavery, according to Ponice Raglin Cruse, a former resident and collector of the community's history. The original name of the community was Lenerson. The land had been deeded to the African American residents by a farmer and slave owner named Harris from Virginia.

Lenerson grew to include over 200 acres with approximately 45 homes and two stores, one of which housed the post office that existed from 1900-1903. With a population of 250 or more persons, it remained a fairly well-off African American community until the late 1990s. It is thought that the community's name was changed to Zion Hill while the post office was still in operation, perhaps around the time that the original Zion Hill Baptist Church was constructed.

Whitney Young, Sr. attended the colored grade school in Lenerson; later the community had a one-room schoolhouse, a Rosenwald School. In 1945, the Zion Hill Rosenwald School was closed,  and the children were bused to the White Sulfur Elementary School and the Ed Davis High School, both in Scott County (see Betty W. Davis).

Today, Zion Hill receives phone service from Fayette County; mail from Woodford County: and water, police, and fire department services from Scott County.

Information submitted by Ponice Raglin Cruse and her father, Reverend Floyd B. Raglin. Contact Ponice R. Cruse about pictures, deeds, and other historical information pertaining to Zion Hill. See also Patrick, Andrew, "Zion Hill / Zion Hill School" at the ExploreKYHistory website.