Montreat Minute 9/20/24

Bear Survey Results

In case you missed it last week, the bear survey results are available for your review. We thank the 450 people who completed the survey. You can see the full report with all comments as well as the summary slides on the Town website by CLICKING HERE.

We are setting up a meeting with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission to discuss our situation and possible solutions and will keep you informed about the meeting details.


Montreat College Achieves Record Enrollment

For the ninth time in ten years, Montreat College has achieved record enrollment. The Fall 2024 semester set an institutional record with the largest incoming class in the college’s 109-year history.

A total of 656 students are enrolled in Montreat College’s School of Arts & Sciences for the 2024-2025 academic year, including the highest number of new full-time students in the college’s history.

In addition to the college’s traditional residential enrollment, 306 students are enrolled in online degree programs offered through the School of Adult and Graduate Studies, including 182 graduate students and 124 undergraduate students. In total, 962 students are currently enrolled at Montreat College.

We congratulate the college for their sustained success and excellence.


PHC Offers Free Presentation Tuesday, September 24

The Presbyterian Heritage Center (PHC) is offering a free presentation entitled “Between Heaven and the High Country” given by Ella Adams of Appalachian State University on Tuesday, September 24, at 3:00pm in the PHC Library.

Ella will be speaking about the cultural and spiritual significance of the Montreat Valley to Presbyterian communities which inhabited the landscape. Ella spent the summer using the PHC Collections for her research. The presentation is free and open to the public. The PHC is located at 318 Georgia Terrace in Montreat. All are invited to attend.


‘Made In Montreat’ Craft Show and Sale Coming October 12

The Annual Made in Montreat Craft Show will be held on Saturday October 12, from 9:00am until 2:30pm in Lower Moore Center.

Montreat crafters are busy preparing for this event and the community always enjoys gathering for the fun and chance to visit with neighbors and friends.

This year will offer many selections of Pottery, Jewelry, Stained Glass, Fused Glass, and many other items. Mark your calendar for October 12 for the one day show and sale.


Did You Know?

Hotel Montreat located on current site of Assembly Inn.

Photo, “Mist Rising Over Rocky Head”, by Alice Margaret Dickinson

Shortly after its incorporation in March 1897, the Mountain Retreat Association began to sponsor conferences. That summer, the Christian Workers’ Assembly attracted over 400 attendees. In 1898, two conferences that spanned a total of three weeks brought even more people. Meetings were held under canopies and people slept in tents. Montreat’s Executive Committee hoped to attract even larger crowds, but such would not happen without adequate accommodations. Paying for a hotel and a permanent meeting structure, however, was beyond the means of the organization that could not even afford to grade the roads properly.

In November 1899 a change of leadership paved the way for a solution. John Huyler, a wealthy New York philanthropist, had been active with Montreat since its founding and was elected president of the Association. He agreed to pay the entire cost of a modern hotel, leaving it to General Manager, Weston Gales, to raise enough money to construct a modest meeting facility.

Both buildings opened in 1900. Hotel Montreat was located where Assembly Inn stands today. While indoor plumbing had not yet arrived, the hotel was nonetheless a vast improvement over tents on wooden platforms. It was filled during the summer with conference attendees. Vacationers also found their way to Montreat, many of whom so loved the area that they purchased lots for summer cottages of their own. In 1907 another hotel, the Alba (CLICK HERE for Alba Hotel story), was built on the other side of the lake.  When Montreat Normal School opened in 1916, Hotel Montreat served as its residence hall and classroom building.

On a January night in 1924, the students were awakened by a fire alarm. While they were all able to escape the building, Hotel Montreat burned to the ground. The students were moved to three smaller facilities owned by MRA and school continued, moving into the Alba Hotel in September of 1924. Summer housing, however, was a major problem that the Alba alone could not manage. Dr. R. C. Anderson, President of Montreat, turned his attention to erecting a hotel that fire could not destroy. Once the rubble of Hotel Montreat was carted away, he oversaw the construction of Assembly Inn, which formally opened in 1927.

Thanks to the Presbyterian Heritage Center, especially Nancy Midgette, for this glimpse from the past. Stop by the PHC for additional Montreat history and so much more. Have an idea for a future “Did You Know?”? Let Nancy know at [email protected].


Updates and Other Reminders

  • NC Department of Transportation will be closing the eastbound lanes of I-40 from the I-240 East/I-26 West interchange ­(Exit 46B) to Hendersonville Road (Exit 50) from 8 p.m. Friday through 6 a.m. Monday to work on bridges. Traffic will be detoured to I-240 East. For more information on the closure, CLICK HERE.
  • The Planning and Zoning Commission Hillside Development Subcommittee will be meeting on Wednesday, September 25th, at 9:00am in the Town Hall Community Room. The meeting will not be livestreamed, but the public is welcome to attend.
  • The Planning and Zoning Commission Sign Ordinance Subcommittee will be meeting on Thursday, September 26th, at 2:45pm in the Town Hall Community Room. The meeting will not be livestreamed, but the public is welcome to attend.
  • Do you receive your own copy of the Montreat Minute or know someone who doesn’t? Sign up for the Sunshine List to receive the Montreat Minute and stay “in the know” about the Town’s happenings. CLICK HERE to sign up for the list!

Questions or Comments?

Do you have Town-related questions or comments to offer? If so, please send them to Angie Murphy at [email protected] and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Have a great weekend!