Montreat Minute 09/26/25
‘One Year After’ Reception this Tuesday, September 30th
Montreat residents Anne Seaman, Anne Stone, and Kathy Putnam have organized a reception to honor the staff of the Town of Montreat and the Montreat Conference Center for their hard work responding to the damage caused by Hurricane Helene nearly one year ago. The event will be held on September 30th from 2:30 to 4:00 pm on the Moore Center patio. For more information contact the organizers at montreat.thankyou@gmail.com.
Made in Montreat Returns October 18th
Made in Montreat, the highly anticipated craft show and sale, is returning to the Lower Moore Center on Saturday, October 18th, from 9:00am to 2:30pm.
Beth Casper, coordinator of this year’s event, said the show will feature Montreat artisans offering a wide variety of hand made items. Stay tuned for more information but mark your calendars now.
Did You Know?
Hotel workers and guests negotiating across Flat Creek after the 1916 flood
Ed. Note: The Presbyterian Heritage Center’s Nancy Midgette, author of Did You Know?, is traveling. Given the upcoming one-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene, we are reprising an interesting story about the 1916 flood and its parallels to last year’s disaster.
Flat Creek, running through the heart of Montreat, became a raging river during both the July 1916 and the September 2024 floods. “Will the dam hold?” was a question in the minds of many both times. In 1916 the earthen portion of the dam gave way early on Sunday morning, creating what Robert McClure described as a “raging current” between Calvin Auditorium (situated on what is now Moore Field) and the bookstore, just at the foot of the dam. Near Lookout Road it created a whirlpool before
continuing on, damaging bridges so that they either disappeared or became impassable.
The Woman’s Conference was scheduled to begin that day, and some conferees had arrived the night before. As it so happened, all of the hotel cooks lived on the east side of Flat Creek and the dishwashers lived on the west side. Thus, the guests in Hotel Montreat (located on the west side of the creek) ate improvised meals while those in the Alba Hotel (on the east side) washed their own dishes so they could dine. A log was soon felled across the creek, enabling employees to report for work. Shortly after, a sturdier foot bridge appeared. In less than a week most utilities had been restored and the conference season continued.
In 2024, the entire dam held and operated exactly as it was designed to. But the raging creek so seriously overflowed its banks that asphalt roads and bridges were swept away. Well-pumping equipment and broken water lines were knocked out of service and the high winds brought down trees on power lines. More than one lineman remarked that they had never seen such a tangled mess. While this disaster occurred after the end of the conference season, Montreat had many more permanent residents and a more complex infrastructure than in 1916; recovery will take much longer.
A common thread was the sense of community and cooperation that permeated Montreat both times. People immediately donated funds to help with the cost of recovery. Residents in 1916 crafted ways to span the creek; in 2024 they grabbed their chain saws and opened up roads. Dr. Robert Anderson’s words to the 1916 General Assembly could also describe Montreat in 2024: “…the adverse conditions seemed to bring all closer together and added greatly to the spiritual power” that permeates this place.
Thanks to the Presbyterian Heritage Center, especially Nancy Midgette, for this glimpse from the past, and in this case, present. 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 midgette@elon.edu.
Updates and Reminders
The Montreat Landcare Committee will meet on Wednesday, October 1st, at 9:00 am in the Town Hall Community Room for its monthly meeting. The meeting will be live streamed and all are invited to attend. Please check the website next week for streaming instructions.
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Questions or Comments?
Do you have Town-related questions or comments to offer? If so, please send them to Angela Murphy at info@townofmontreat.org and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
Have a great weekend
