Did You Know?
Choosing how to spend time in Montreat is almost never an issue. There are trails to hike, rocks to hop, and streams to dam. You can see friends at the Huck, visit the Presbyterian Heritage Center, and enjoy a book on the Moore Center porch.
But what about those early settlers? How did Mary Martin, C. C. Lord, Cora Stone, the Rudds, the Collins, and others spend their time? Well, there were trails to hike, rocks to hop, and streams to dam. There was a store with a library in one corner operated by Cora Stone. They often went horseback riding. And, just like today, they had each other.
Early residents spent a lot of time in each other’s homes. Mary Martin hosted a tea in her home, Chinquapin, less than a month after she moved in (November 1898), indicating that she planned to “invite as many people as we have cups and saucers.”
In January 1899, Montreaters began a book club – the Shakespeare Reading Club. It met every Friday night in different homes. They began with The Tempest before moving on to Julius Caesar. While we don’t know how long this particular club lasted, we do know that books and reading have always been an important part of Montreat life. Following Stone’s death in 1904, her library of more than 1,300 books was moved to the Community Building (now the post office) and named the “Cora A. Stone Memorial Library.” Elizabeth Foreman curated and grew the collection to almost 5,000 volumes. It was merged with the Montreat College Library in 1935 and remained available to the public.
In addition to that first little library, there has long been some sort of bookstore. Can you remember taking a book out to the bookstore porch and reading it, losing track of time? Other book clubs have flourished. Currently, the Presbyterian Heritage Center sponsors a book club that meets at 2:00 pm on the 3rd Tuesday of each month. Discussing a book with friends can be so much more rewarding than scrolling through the news feed on your mobile device! The next PHC Book Club gathering is scheduled for February 17 for a discussion of Necessary to Explain: A Memoir by Neal Lloyd. Visit the PHC website to learn more about the Book Club
Thanks to the Presbyterian Heritage Center, especially Nancy Midgette, for this glimpse from the past. Stop by the PHC for additional Montreat history and so much more. Have an idea for a future “Did You Know?”? Let Nancy know at midgette@elon.edu.