Mars Hill University Today
A walk around the Mars Hill University campus opens up some interesting avenues to the history and culture of the area.
The Town of Mars Hill
The town of Mars Hill was built around the educational institution which was to become Mars Hill University. And, strolling down Main Street you can feel the influence that still permeates the small downtown area. Owen Theatre on the university campus is the home of the Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre which draws theatergoers from the surrounding area. The town has a rich music history as it was the birthplace of Bascom Lamar Lunsford, the “Minstrel of the Appalachians.” And, just a short distance from the town and a long distance in elevation, is a ski area for winter outdoor pleasure.
Articles
Mars Hill College History
In the mid 1800s, there was a town in the area known as Pleasant Hill. The four families living here wanted their children educated and instructed in the Baptist faith.
Anderson Rosenwald Schools
In the 1920s, the president of Sears, Roebuck and Co, Julius Rosenwald, created a fund to build schools in the rural areas of 15 southern states to enable black children to get an education during segregation.
