The MSSA was one of hundreds of similar Assemblies patterned after the Chautauqua Institution in New York in the late 19th century, of which only nine or ten remain active.
The thousands of yearly visitors soon encouraged the Assembly to begin building projects which led to the creation of many cottages, public meeting halls and boarding rooms.
This coalition brought the Assembly even greater popularity, and allowed it to begin showing guest ministers, lectures and entertainers from around the country during the summer season.
Most of the 162 buildings on the grounds are residences for Assembly participants, typically one- and two-story frame cottages with porches, featuring Queen Anne and Carpenter Gothic design elements.
The MSSA offers Sunday school and Sunday church, evening prayer [called Twilight Prayers], and a weekly guest minister and speaker, all of which take place in the Assembly's small but well-known church, Warren Chapel, designed along with the Harton (dining) Hall also on the mall, by renowned Nashville architect, Edwin A Keeble who was born in the Assembly in 1905 and died in Sewanee in 1979.
There is no shortage of things for children and teens to do, and on any given day the Assembly could host evening movies, hiking excursions, youth groups, arts and crafts, and fu.
MSSA, located six miles from Sewanee, The University of the South, has been a haven for many writers and artists, including Andrew Lytle and John Gaddis.