Exploring Our Heritage: Montreat and Asheville

We are really excited about our two-day tour this spring! On Friday afternoon we will be given a great introduction to the riches of the Presbyterian Heritage Center at Montreat. The Center occupies the purpose-built archives building on Georgia Terrace that was constructed for the Historical Foundation of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S. After reunion it became the Montreat branch of the Presbyterian Historical Society. In 2006 it was decided to close the facility and transfer records either to the PHS in Philadelphia or to Columbia Seminary in Decatur GA.

However, many people, including our society, felt it was important to maintain a center for Presbyterian history in the Montreat Conference Center. Over the years the facility had been a place of education for conference-goers as well as a place for historical research. Artifacts from churches and missions, private collections of letters, other materials for research, and many books were still there, and fundraising began for the creation of a center for the study of our Presbyterian Heritage. The center is independent from any one denomination. It collects and preserves records and materials of all Presbyterian and Reformed Church denominations. It also is the repository for records of the conference center, which will be celebrating its 125th anniversary.

Director Ron Vinson, the board, staff, and dedicated volunteers have done a great job of building up the Center and providing a vibrant place for learning about our Presbyterian Heritage. We should all support their efforts.

While there we will learn about their many printed and manuscript sources, photographs, and the tools for research into Presbyterian history that they have been developing. We’ll hear about original research done into the work of an early woman photographer. The exhibits at the PHC are one of their best tools for education. In 2021 Dr. Nancy Midgette spoke to our society on “Native Americans and Presbyterian Missionaries,” the subject of an exhibit she created for the PHC. We’ll also have a behind-the-scenes tour.

An important point is that if you would like to spend more time at the Presbyterian Heritage Center, it will be open both Friday morning and Saturday afternoon.

Later in the afternoon we’ll also visit the Chapel of the Prodigal Son on the Montreat College campus to commune with the large fresco by Ben Long.

Saturday morning we will leave for Warren Wilson College in the beautiful Swannanoa Valley. Established by the Women’s Board of Home Missions (PCUSA) in 1894 as the Asheville Farm School, it became a junior college in 1942 and a four-year liberal arts college in 1966. It remains dedicated to “learning by doing” with a universal work program and emphasis on original student research. Environmental sustainability is of key importance.

First Presbyterian Church in Asheville

First Presbyterian Church in Asheville was founded in 1794. The congregation grew along with the city and has many interesting stories to tell, especially when the small town boomed with the coming of the railroad. Asheville became a resort for the wealthy and a therapeutic health center. The Great Depression actually saved many of its beautiful buildings.

Historic Churches Celebrating Anniversaries in 2023

This year, our society is recognizing a dozen churches for having reached a significant anniversary of their founding. Representatives plan to bring recognition and sincere congratulations from the North Carolina Presbyterian Historical Society to the following churches celebrating anniversaries in 2023:

200 years

• Oak Hill Presbyterian Church, Oxford
• First Presbyterian Church, Washington

150 years

• First Presbyterian Church, Wadesboro
• First Presbyterian Church, Monroe
• First Presbyterian Church, Hickory
• Flat Branch Presbyterian Church, Bunnlevel in Harnett County

100 years

• Flat Rock Presbyterian Church, Mt. Airy
• El Bethel Presbyterian Church, Eden
• Hepzibah ARP Church, Bessemer City
• Westminster Presbyterian Church, Raleigh
• Ernest Myatt Presbyterian Church, Garner
• White Oak Presbyterian Church, Fremont

Several churches that were missed during Covid shutdowns will also be visited this year:

• Trinity Avenue Presbyterian Church, Durham (100 years in 2021)
• Westminster Presbyterian Church, Whiteville (100 years in 2020)
• Dothan Presbyterian Church, Maxton (100 years in 2020)
• William and Mary Hart Presbyterian Church, Leggett in Edgecombe County (100 years in 2021)
• Community Presbyterian Church, Pinehurst (100 years in 2021)
• Lake Waccamaw Presbyterian Church (100 years in 2021)

This anniversary year is a great time for each of you to begin or update the history of your church. It is truly worth recording the heritage on which you build. The records and the memories are too easily lost. Make scrapbooks of clippings about members, take lots of pictures, and celebrate the Good News at every opportunity. Congratulations to each congregation.

Historic Asheville area Church Ends Ministry

Oak Forest Presbyterian Church in Buncombe County has closed after a 150-year history of service to the Sand Hill Road area of southwest Asheville. The final service celebrating worship and the love of the congregation was held on January 15, 2023, ending a ministry that started in 1873. The Presbytery of Western North Carolina is assisting members as they transfer to other congregations in the area.