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This Week In History
May 11 - 17
(changes weekly; click on title above for previous entries on Presbyterian history)
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By 1964, the Presbyterian Church in the United States allowed women to be ordained as ministers. On May 12, 1965, Hanover Presbytery ordained the Rev. Rachel Henderlite (below) at All Souls Presbyterian Church in Richmond, Virginia, as the first woman minister in the PC (US).

On May 13, 1878, Smithsonian Institution Secretary Joseph Henry died in Washington, D.C. A lifelong Presbyterian, Henry was an outstanding scientist who served as the first Secretary of the Institution from 1846 to his death in 1878. His funeral was on May 16th at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church.

Montreat History Trivia
Answers are below
1) When was the first police officer or force implemented in Montreat?

2) When did Montreat start charging a gate toll — originally only during conference seasons?

Answers:
1) When the North Carolina General Assembly revised Montreat's charter on March 11, 1901, it provided for a marshall to provide a police function for the community. William Suttles was named Marshall at a July 26, 1901 meeting. The pay? The marshall was paid $25 a year, plus keeping any fines (Aug. 15, 1905).

2) The first gate house tolls or entry fees were published in the 1910 conference brochure (1910 gate below). Costs were: 25 cents a day; $1.25 a week; $2 for 10 days; $5 for the season; $10 for a family season ticket.

Preservation
The Presbyterian Heritage Center at Montreat is ordering state-of-the-art fiber optic lighting (sample above) for its exhibit cases — no heat, no UV or IR rays — the perfect preservation lighting for valuable artifacts both from our collection and on loan from others, such as the Princeton Theological Seminary Library!

Gospel Scenes — Wood Carvings
Among items that will be displayed by the Presbyterian Heritage Center during 2008 - 2009 are: 24 wooden sculptures by the Rev. John Mack Walker, Jr., depicting Gospel scenes using mountain figures, which are to be periodically displayed in the new Presbyterian Heritage Center. We will be adding additional 1991 video excerpts of Walker talking about the sculptures soon. Click here to see a 3 minute introduction by Rev. Walker on his sculptures.

Montreat Trivia :
Click for previous Montreat History Trivia Questions.
Emails:
General information & questions

Potential collection items

National Historic Preservation Month;
Grand Opening — Saturday, May 24th

The Presbyterian Heritage Center (PHC) at Montreat will hold its Grand Opening on Memorial Weekend — at 10:30 am, Saturday, May 24, 2008. Please make plans to attend this historic event! There will be a Scottish piper, a choir from the Korea Presbyterian Church of Asheville and more!

Saturday evening, there will be a Ceilidh and Appalachian music program open free to the Montreat community and anyone else, cosponsored by the Presbyterian Heritage Center and the Montreat Scottish Society. The evening will begin at 7:30 pm with a Ceilidh and Barn Dance, featuring Glenn Bannerman and the Stony Creek Boys.

We offer interactive computer kiosks, an innovative museum and research facility (onsite and online) presenting Presbyterian history and Reformed heritage, the church’s tradition of worldwide mission, and the interesting role of Montreat.

The PHC will open with two limited-run exhibits —

Exhibits will be rotated so that there is always something new at the PHC. There will be two additional limited-run exhibits opening during the summer of 2008 —

  • Presbyterians in Appalachia
    This exhibit will open July 4, 2008, to April 15, 2009. It features Presbyterian efforts in establishing churches, schools and medical facilities from early missions to Cherokees to Depression-era Appalachia to today's efforts. Click on the link above for more information.
  • Women's Leadership & Conferences in the Presbyterian Church (1897 - 2007). This exhibit will open July 22 , 2008, and run until June 15, 2009. More details to come.

Montreat History Spotlight
Celebrating National Historic Preservation Month, we are taking a look at the Historical Foundation. Learn about the history of this archive and join us on May 24th as we open a new chapter in providing an innovative learning center with the Presbyterian Heritage Center.

Recent Items Acquired by the PHC:
Come see one of the new items that will be on display in June. It is the first publication of the 1789 Presbyerian General Assembly's letter to the newly installed President George Washington and his response, both printed in the Gazette of the United States on June 6, 1789. You can click on the image at left for a larger image of the article and can then click in the popup box to enlargen it further. The New York newspaper also has the first Act ever passed by Congress. We also have an online image of the letter in Washington's copy book. You can read more about the letter by clicking here.

Communion tokens:
Scottish communion tokens shown left to right are: 1827 Errol Church of Scotland; 1765 Kemback Church of Scotland; 1802 Associate Congregation Church, Glasgow. Click on picture or title link above for more information.

Fundraising
We still need your financial support to open the Presbyterian Heritage Center. Please send in your 2008 contribution or pledge and be listed as a Founding supporter. Everyone contributing or pledging their 2008 contribution by May 15th, will be listed in our Grand Opening Program (May 24th). Click here for a PDF file that you can print out and mail in to:
Presbyterian Heritage Center
PO Box 207
Montreat, NC 28757

or click here for Online Donations through PayPal's secure server

Annual Fundraising Levels
Friends      $ 25 - 150
Members    $ 151 - 499
Patrons      $ 500 - 999
Sponsors    $ 1,000 - 2,499
The R. C. Anderson Circle                $ 2,500 - 4,999
The (Thomas K.) Spence Circle         $ 5,000 - 9,999
The (Samuel Mills) Tenney Founders Circle $ 10,000+
Your gift should not impact your support for the on-going mission and programs of the Montreat Conference Center and other church-related programs.

PHC also will have some of these Heritage History interviews online (click on picture of Andy Andrews for a sample).

 

© 2008. Presbyterian Heritage Center at Montreat.
PO Box 207, Montreat, NC 28757

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