Mars Hill College is the oldest educational institution still on its original site in Western North Carolina. Twenty-three founding families, children and grandchildren of the pioneer settlers of the area, established the school on a tract of land given by Edward Carter. The bricks for the first building were made by volunteer labor, and the building erected by an Asheville contractor.

The school opened in the fall of 1856 as the French Broad Baptist Institute, taking its name from the Baptist Association of Churches in Western North Carolina. The first president was W. A. G. Brown. He was succeeded in 1858 by the Rev. J. B. Marsh originally from Binghamton, NY, who served until the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861.

On Feb. 16, 1859, the school was chartered by the North Carolina General Assembly as Mars Hill College, a name suggested by trustee Lewis Palmer (1791-1874). Palmer suggested the name based on scripture from the Bible's Acts 17:22: "Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars Hill . . .". The charter gave the college power to confer "all such degrees and marks of literary distinction as are usually conferred in colleges or seminaries of learning."

During the first two years of the Civil War the school remained in operation, but from 1863 until 1865 it was closed. After the war the institution was kept alive by the heroic efforts of local men and women. Fourteen men filled the presidency during the next 32 years.

The election of Robert Lee Moore as president in 1897 was, in a sense, a second founding. Under his leadership the college grew continuously, its assets multiplied, and its character as an institution of higher education was firmly established.

During most of its early history the college was operated as an academy or boarding high school, but it did offer some college-level courses. In 1921 it was reorganized as a junior college and became a successful pioneer in that field.

In 1938, after 41 years of distinctive service, Dr. Moore retired from the presidency. A scholarly member of the faculty, Dr. Hoyt Blackwell, was unanimously selected as his successor. Under Dr. Blackwell's leadership the progress of the school continued. High standards were maintained, facilities were expanded and improved, and the curriculum was revised.

In 1960 the Baptist State Convention approved plans for converting Mars Hill into a senior college. The junior year was added in 1962-63, and the first baccalaureate degrees were awarded in May 1964.

After 28 years of distinguished service as president, Dr. Blackwell retired, and on July 1, 1966, he was succeeded by Dr. Fred Blake Bentley, who at that time was the youngest college president in the nation. Taking "Emphasis on Excellence" as the creed of his administration, Dr. Bentley guided Mars Hill to accreditation as a senior college, led faculty development and curriculum innovation, and fostered numerous other educational and physical advances. After almost 30 years in the presidency, he retired in February 1996. In March of that year, Dr. A. Max Lennon (class of 1960) returned to Mars Hill College as President and served until January 2002.

On 9 May 2003, the Board of Trustees named Dr. Dan G. Lunsford (class of 1969) as the new President of Mars Hill College. Dr. Lunsford earned his B.A. in elementary education from Mars Hill and continued his education at UNC-Chapel Hill. Before returning to Mars Hill as Dean of the School of Education and Leadership in August 1998, Dr. Lunsford retired from a successful career in the public school sector.

From These Stones, the official history of the college by Prof. John Angus McLeod, is available in the college bookstore.