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Montreat Conference Center

File:Montreat logo green.jpg
Type	503(c)(3) religious organization
Location	Montreat, North Carolina
Key people	Pete Peery, President Merri Bass, VP for Program Development and Marketing Mike Morse, VP of Hospitality Bill Straughan, VP for Development Richard Sills, VP of Finance Bob Tuttle, VP for Center for Youth and Young Adult Ministries
Website	www.montreat.org

Montreat Conference Center (also known as the Mountain Retreat Association) is a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) conference center located in Montreat, Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States.

Geography

Montreat Conference Center is located just east of Asheville, North Carolina and in close proximity to Black Mountain, North Carolina.

History

• 1897 – The Rev. John C. Collins, a Congregational minister from Connecticut, with a group of other clergy and lay leaders, purchased 4,500 acres in western North Carolina for use as a Christian settlement for physical and spiritual renewal.
• 1905 – J.R. Howerton, in conjunction with the Synod of North Carolina (now the Synod of the Mid-Atlantic), purchased the 4,000 acre cove now known as Montreat. Funds were raised by the selling of stocks, and the property became owned by the Mountain Retreat Association.
• 1911 – Dr. Robert C. Anderson was elected the fifth President of the Mountain Retreat Association, serving for 35 years.
• 1916 – Montreat Normal School for Women opened with eight students.
• 1922 – Construction of Anderson Auditorium, a large gathering space, was completed.
• 1933 – Montreat Normal School became Montreat Junior College; the following year, it became Montreat College.
• 1942 – 290 Japanese and German internees were housed in the Assembly Inn, which is owned by Montreat Conference Center.
• 1965 – Policies which condoned racial segregation in Montreat were resolved. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. addressed the Christian Action Conference held at Montreat that year.
• 1967 – The Town of Montreat incorporated.
• 1974 – The Mountain Retreat Association and what is now known as Montreat College became two separate organizations.
• 1983 – Montreat Conference Center became a national conference center of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) when the northern and southern Presbyterian churches reunited.

Further information regarding the History of Montreat Conference Center can be found at the Presbyterian Heritage Center's website.

External links

• Official website of Montreat Conference Center
• Presbyterian Heritage Center located in Montreat.
• Official website of Montreat, NC
• Montreat Conference Center is located at 35.64559°N 82.300434°W / 35.64559; -82.300434