by Mary T. Martin Sloop, M.D. Reprinted by Crossnore, Crossnore, NC: Crossnore School and Children’s Home 2018, 203 pages
Reviewed by Dr. Carolyn Burhans
Situated deep in the western North Carolina mountains is a school where miracles have been performed since the early 1900s. Not long after they were married, Dr. Mary Martin Sloop and her husband, also a physician, decided to start a medical mission in the remote Avery County community of Crossnore. It was here that Mary quickly recognized that education was as much a critical need as medical services, and she founded the Crossnore School. Hardships were very much a part of everyday life in those hills throughout the school’s development. The local culture was one of hard work, neighbor helping neighbor and attending church. Travel was difficult, particularly in the winter months, because it was accomplished on foot or horseback or in a wagon pulled by horses or oxen along narrow, curving trails that were steep and rocky. Children did not attend school regularly for a variety of reasons: the transportation challenges, the need to work at home and sometimes their parents did not consider education to be important. Dr. Mary Sloop simply could not allow any of those obstacles to keep the children from being in school.
Miracle in the Hills is Mary Sloop’s story of how the Crossnore School came into being and its journey through the decades. Fueled by her belief of and reliance upon God, she forged through the extensive trials and triumphs of the school and its students. She eloquently weaves a story that is spiced with the breaking up of moonshine stills, enforcing North Carolina mandatory attendance laws, creatively raising funds to keep the school growing and having her life threatened. Her first-person account entails how she assisted her husband with surgeries and did some on her own while he was away from the medical office, riding on horseback to people who were too ill to travel. Dr. Eustace Sloop was passionately supportive of his wife’s mission. Together they reared two children while impacting the lives of thousands. From the original shed that was the site of the first classroom to the sprawling boarding school of today, one cannot help but be drawn in by the story line. Further inspiration may be gained if you visit the scenic, hilly campus, breathe in the fresh mountain air, tour the buildings and grounds and just try to leave the gift shop without making a purchase! If a visit is not possible you may take a look at their website: www.crossnore.org to learn more about this majestic place where children thrive on learning and miracles really do happen.