From These Roots

There’s no land nowhere that’s any prettier than ours. I don’t think so. As far as that goes, I think it’s misnamed. Don’t you?” — Local resident Evelyn Gosnell speaking about “The Dark Corner”

North Greenville University has a special connection to the mountains that surround the campus with their beauty. It was mountain people in 1892 who decided that their children deserved a good education like children in other areas. North Greenville’s longtime mascot, The Mountaineers, or “Mounties” for short was in honor of these courageous and hardworking people. Their determination and faith in God is the reason North Greenville stands today.

The founders wanted North Greenville to be a light on the hill shining the love of Christ while providing a biblical education. In an area where murder and illegal moonshining were common, but family was everything, North Greenville became the school of the community. Moonshiners like brothers J. Dean and E.B. Crain were able to attend North Greenville, receive an education, and go on to be ministers of the gospel. This little mountain school has produced countless transformational leaders for church and society over the last 131 years who may not have received an education if not for North Greenville.

These hills have also been a place of exploring and rejuvenation for generations of students. Since the school’s founding, students have climbed Glassy Mountain and explored the surrounding area. This was so well known by the community, that local law enforcement would pay North Greenville students to report any moonshine stills they came across while hiking.

“Brother Donnan, don’t let that bother you. This school has been dying ever since I knew it.” -E.B. Crain to Dr. M.C. Donnan when he first came to North Greenville as principal and people kept asking him if the school would open in the fall

Countless times North Greenville came close to closing its doors forever, but this mountain community refused to let that happen. Mountain school supporters like J.H. Roe, John T. Wood, and Benjamin F. Neves stepped in numerous times to save North Greenville. Local people took extra jobs and made personal sacrifices to help North Greenville. They came together and built some of the buildings on campus when the funds were tight. The blood, sweat, tears, and faith of all who have come before are still on this hill. The faith of our founders has moved mountains to keep this school open and God isn’t done yet. Mounties will continue to move mountains.

Seeing the mountain views from campus will always feel like coming home to many alumni. Even those of us who came here as Crusaders will always be Mounties as well because North Greenville students are mountain school students. For those affiliated with North Greenville, the term “Mounties” does not refer to “hillbillies” but rather to a group of people who lived in the hills and mountains of northern Greenville County dedicated to beginning and maintaining an educational institution for the past 131 years. When athletes of years past doned the “Mountie” logo on their uniforms, they were paying respect to this mountaineer heritage.

The beautiful mountains we see today are the same now as they were all those years ago when the first students stepped foot on this hill. A lot of things have changed, but like North Greenville alumna and teacher Hattie Brock once said:

“‘Oh, you wouldn’t know it was the same place, but when I look at those mountains, I feel that it was but yesterday,’ ” she said as she looked across the valleys as if they were years and beheld the inspiring panoramic vistas of Glassy and Hogback standing stalwart and firm, ever-changing with every moving cloud and wisp of vapor and yet steadfastly the same as in other days. ‘The mountains and the hopes are the same.’”