The Town of Monteagle
Monteagle, first called Moffat Station, was founded by John Moffat, an organizer in the temperance movement. In 1870 Moffat purchased the 1,146 acres of forest land on the Cumberland Plateau that became Monteagle. In 1882 the Monteagle Sunday School Assembly incorporated to promote the “advancement of science, literary attainment, Sunday school interest and promotion of the broadest popular culture in the interest of Christianity without regard to sect or denomination.” Andrew Nelson Lytle, the Vanderbilt Agrarian, did much of his writing at Monteagle, including his biography of Nathan Bedford Forrest.
Monteagle is a town in Franklin, Grundy and Marion counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee, in the Cumberland Plateau region of the southeastern part of the state. The population was 1,238 at the 2000 census – 804 of the town’s 1,238 residents (64.9%) lived in Grundy County, 428 (34.6%) in Marion County, and 6 (0.5%) in Franklin County.
The town is home to the Monteagle Sunday School Assembly . The Highlander Folk School , long involved in the labor and civil rights movements, was located here from 1932 to 1961. Rosa Parks attended workshops there shortly before the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
Monteagle Sunday School Assembly
The Monteagle Sunday School Assembly, or MSSA, is a church. Its Charter, which was granted by the State of Tennessee on October 31, 1882, states the purpose (mission) of the Assembly: the advancement of science, literary attainment, Sunday School interests, and the promotion of the broadest popular culture in the interest of Christianity without regard to sect or denomination. Monteagle Sunday School Assembly is inter-denominational and family-oriented. It is dedicated to fulfilling its original charter and mission through a variety of spiritual, educational, cultural, and health development activities for all ages during an eight week season each summer and through retreats and other activities throughout the year.
The 8-week period from early June to August, referred to as the Season, is when the MSSA hosts its annual summer program. This includes a number of social, spiritual and cultural activities for all ages, as well as guest speakers, entertainers and ministers.
