Montreat Minute for November 19, 2021

November 19, 2021

An Unexpected Gift from the Cottagers

Black and white logo for Montreat Cottagers with a house and trees illustration on the left, and text on the right reading Montreat Cottagers, P.O. Box 111, Montreat, North Carolina 28757.

We are extremely grateful to the Montreat Cottagers for making a generous $1,200 donation to the Town recently. Cottagers shares their earnings with four Montreat entities: the Town, MRA, Montreat College and the Presbyterian Heritage Center. Thank you, Cottagers, for your diligent efforts and generosity.

Thank You Luncheon Follow Up

Eight adults sit and stand around a long table set for a meal in a bright room. Some people are smiling at the camera. A TV screen with a person’s face is on the wall at the back.

On Tuesday, the Town Council prepared and served a “thank you” lunch to the Town staff to show appreciation for the good and hard work they do daily. Additionally, Montreaters sent “thank you” notes to the staff over the past several weeks. The notes were collected and turned into a slide presentation, which was running on the two monitors in the Community Room during the luncheon. The notes were very special and the staff were most appreciative. We thought you might like to see the sentiments expressed by Montreaters about the dedicated staff. We are fortunate to have them as special “citizens” of our Town. CLICK HERE to download a PDF copy of the notes.

Did You Know?

Text on a blue and green gradient background reads Did you know? with a large question mark behind the words.
Black and white photo of an older man with a mustache in a suit on the left, next to an old multi-story building with timber detailing and trees in front on the right.

                                       John Huyler                                 The Montreat Hotel

John Huyler (1846-1910) was a New York philanthropist who made his fortune in the candy business.  John Collins of New Haven, Connecticut, the founder of Montreat, knew of Huyler and his great generosity to charitable causes.  Huyler responded positively to Collins’ overture and provided essential financial support to Montreat in its early days.

In 1899, when Collins resigned as president of MRA, Huyler assumed that position and hired directors to manage the summer conference season.  One of the great needs during this time was housing for visitors.  In 1901 the Montreat Hotel, located near the present day Assembly Inn and funded entirely by Huyler, opened for the summer season.  Because of extreme indebtedness to Huyler, the board gave him a mortgage on the entire property except for lots that had already been leased to individuals.  He sought a buyer for several years. In 1905, Huyler entered into conversations with Rev. J. R. Howerton, then pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, who had visited Montreat many times.  Howerton proposed to the Synod of North Carolina the need for such a Presbyterian retreat center. The synod responded favorably, the General Assembly approved, the transfer was complete in 1907, and the rest is history! 

To learn more about Huyler visit the PHC website (www.phcmontreat.org).

Thanks to the Presbyterian Heritage Center, especially Nancy Midgette, for this glimpse from the past. Stop by the PHC for even more Montreat history and so much more.

A hand is writing the word REMINDERS in bold, black letters with a red underline on a white background.

Updates and Reminders

  • The Board of Adjustment did not meet on November 17 as scheduled due to illness of one of the attorneys. The meeting has been rescheduled to Monday, December 13, at 4:00pm in Graham Chapel. More information to come.
  • The Montreat Tree Board will meet on Tuesday, November 23, 2021, at 9:30am in the Town Hall. The meeting will also be live-streamed and recorded. CLICK HERE for live-stream instructions and more.
  • The Town offices and services will be closed on Thursday and Friday, November 25 and 26, for the Thanksgiving holiday. There will be no Montreat Minute next Friday. Sanitation pick up services are not affected and will occur on Monday as usual.
  • The Montreat Landcare Committee will meet on Wednesday, December 1, at 9:00am in the Allen Building. See the Landcare website for additional information.

Questions?

Do you have Town-related questions you would like answered? 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!