Civil War-era church gets a new roof

Sierra Marling, Richmond Register, Ky.
·2 min read

Sep. 9—A private fundraising effort recently raised over $15,000 to buy a new roof for the historic Mt. Zion Christian Church.

Located on Battlefield Memorial Highway, south of Richmond, the church was commandeered as a hospital on the morning of August 30, 1862, by Union forces just as the Battle of Richmond was commencing.

Although overrun by Confederate troops, the church's medical staff and parishioners tended to the wounded of both sides for several weeks after the battle while the Confederates went on to capture Lexington and Frankfort, which was the only Union state capitol to fall during the war.

It was one of the largest single-room structures in Madison County at the time of its construction in 1852 and has since served as a historical reminder in the community. However, it has done so with limited renovation or reconstruction, resulting in inconvenient disrepairs.

"Subsequent renovations and upgrades have altered some aspects of the building, but it still retains its Civil War era appearance and ambiance," said Battle of Richmond Visitors Center Curator Phillip Seyfrit. "The original pews are the same as were used in the 1860s."

According to Carol Thomas, the chairperson of Mt. Zion's board, the entire project was funded by a private fundraising campaign that included the church, the Battle of Richmond Association, the Madison County Historical Society, and the Madison County Civil War Roundtable.

Thomas noted "a couple of different leaks" that allowed water to come into the historical building.

Thomas recalled the generosity of local organizations and the time spent creating the campaign from the organizations' mailing lists. She and four other volunteers stuffed envelopes to be mailed out to prospective donors before the Fourth of July.

"We met, probably, on a Sunday afternoon right before the Fourth of July, and we stuffed envelopes. They were mailed out on the fifth, so everyone would have had it by the end of the week. and you know, everything from there is the generosity of the donors," she said.

Organizers reported that the fundraising drive successfully garnered the $15,000 needed to completely replace the roof and related repairs in about one month.

Thomas confirmed that, with donations still coming in, "anything over and beyond [the goal]...will still be held for the church to use in case [they] have something major that [they] need a little bit of help with."

People can still donate to what the organizations call "the Mt. Zion Fund," which will go to maintaining what history enthusiast Seyfrit calls "one of the iconic structures remaining on the Richmond battlefield."

Donations can be made out via check to the Battle of Richmond Association with a note on the check that the amount is meant to go to the Mt. Zion Fund. Checks can be brought in person or mailed the the Battle of Richmond Visitors Center, located at 101 Battlefield Memorial Hwy, Richmond, KY 40475.