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Montreat Conference Center (also known as the Mountain Retreat Association) located in Montreat, North Carolina, United States, is a conference center serving the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). The word 'Montreat' is a contraction of the words 'Mountain Retreat'.


Geography

Montreat Conference Center is located just east of
Asheville, North Carolina Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous cit ...
and in close proximity to
Black Mountain, North Carolina Black Mountain is a town in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 7,848 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town is named for the old train stop at the Black Mountain Dep ...
. Montreat consists of approximately of land, 2,460 of which are protected under a conservation easement.Montreat Conference Center: About Us webpage
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History

* 1897 – A group of ecumenical church leaders, led by
United Church of Christ The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination based in the United States, with historical and confessional roots in the Congregational, Calvinist, Lutheran, and Anabaptist traditions, and with approximatel ...
minister John Collins, formed the Mountain Retreat Association (MRA). Its purpose was to establish an interdenominational resort and retreat center. * 1905 - J.R. Howerton and the Synod of North Carolina purchased of the valley to be owned by the Mountain Retreat Association. * 1907 - The Mountain Retreat Association holds the first
Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their n ...
conference. * 1922 - Construction completed on Anderson Auditorium, a large meeting space able to seat 1,500 people. * 1924 - A concrete dam was constructed (to replace an old wooden one) with funds donated by Susan Graham and her son, Allen. The resulting Lake Susan, a prominent feature in Montreat, was named in her honor. * 1924 - Construction of the Assembly Inn was completed. * 1926 - The
Presbyterian Church in the United States The Presbyterian Church in the United States (PCUS, originally Presbyterian Church in the Confederate States of America) was a Protestant denomination in the Southern and border states of the United States that existed from 1861 to 1983. That ye ...
opens the Historic Foundation of the Presbyterian and Reformed Churches at Montreat."The Two Samuels"
/ref> * 1933 - Montreat Normal School became first Montreat Junior College and then Montreat-Anderson College. * 1967 - The Town of Montreat was incorporated. * 1974 - The Mountain Retreat Association and Montreat-Anderson College became two separate organizations. Montreat-Anderson College then became Montreat College. * 1983 - The Mountain Retreat Association became known as Montreat Conference Center when the
United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America The United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (UPCUSA) was the largest branch of Presbyterianism in the United States from May 28, 1958, to 1983. It was formed by the union of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of Ame ...
reunited with the Presbyterian Church (US) to become the Presbyterian Church, USA. * 2004 - of Montreat was placed under a conservation easement to protect the valley from development. * 2006 - The Presbyterian Historical Society’s office at Montreat is closed and the collection moved to other repositories.


References


External links

*
Presbyterian Heritage Center
located in Montreat.
Official website of Montreat, NC
{{Authority control Presbyterian Church (USA) Religious organizations established in 1897 Organizations based in North Carolina