Covenant College lives in a castle. Its main building, Carter Hall, opened in 1928 as the Lookout Mountain Hotel, a Tudor-style resort nicknamed the "Castle in the Clouds." It sits on the brow of Lookout Mountain above the valleys near Chattanooga. The Presbyterian college bought the empty hotel in 1964 and for years ran almost everything inside it. Today about 1,000 students study the liberal arts from a Reformed Christian perspective.
About this site
Covenant College is a college & university in Lookout Mountain, Walker County. It is one of 163 historic sites cataloged in Walker County on Georgia Roam.
The site sits at 34.9653, -85.3749 near Lookout Mountain. The nearest cataloged historic site is Jackson Cemetery (cemetery), about 0.1 miles away. Others within a short drive include Mills Cemetery, See Seven States, and Lookout Mountain Fairyland Club.
This record is drawn from Georgia Roam. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
What makes Covenant College different
Carter Hall, the main building, opened in 1928 as the Lookout Mountain Hotel. It was advertised as the 'Castle in the Clouds' and closed for good in 1960, four years before the college bought it. covenant.edu
For its first several years on the mountain, the whole college, including chapel, library, classrooms, offices, dorms and dining hall, fit inside the old hotel. covenant.edu
The hotel's old ballroom is now the college dining hall, known as the Great Hall. covenant.edu
Every incoming class signs its names and graduation year on the walls inside Carter Hall's tower. en.wikipedia.org
Covenant was founded in Pasadena, California, in 1955 and spent eight years in St. Louis before moving to Georgia. en.wikipedia.org
The Chalmers Center for Economic and Community Development, known for its work on poverty alleviation, was founded at Covenant in 1999. en.wikipedia.org
About 70% of undergraduates come from outside Georgia, and 89% live on campus. covenant.edu
Covenant College was founded in 1955 in Pasadena, California, as a school of the Bible Presbyterian Church, and it moved to St. Louis a year later alongside Covenant Theological Seminary. In 1964 the college separated from the seminary and moved to the top of Lookout Mountain in northwest Georgia. It bought the shuttered Lookout Mountain Hotel and renamed it Carter Hall after Paul Carter, the Chattanooga businessman who had built and run it.
The hotel had opened in 1928 and was marketed as the Castle in the Clouds. The Great Depression hit less than a year later, and the hotel opened and closed several times before shutting for good in 1960. For Covenant's first years on the mountain, Carter Hall held everything: chapel, library, classrooms, offices, dormitory rooms and dining hall. The campus grew slowly around it, adding the Kresge Memorial Library in 1972, the Dora Maclellan Brown Memorial Chapel in 1978, and science and academic halls in 1996 and 2008. The old hotel was extensively renovated between 2015 and 2017, and its tower was restored.
Covenant has been regionally accredited since 1971. Since the 1982 denominational merger it has been the college of the Presbyterian Church in America. It offers bachelor's degrees along with graduate programs in education, and its Scots compete in NCAA Division III. Brad Voyles, a longtime dean of students, became its seventh president in 2023.
#164 among national liberal arts colleges — Washington Monthly, 2025source
Majors & programs
Covenant offers bachelor's degrees in the liberal arts and sciences, all taught from a Reformed Christian perspective, along with certificates and a Graduate School of Education. Business, psychology, biology, education, English, and biblical and theological studies produced the most 2025 graduates. The list below comes from Covenant's academic programs page in September 2026.
Known for
Poverty and Development
An unusual major tied to the Chalmers Center for Economic and Community Development, founded at Covenant in 1999.
Known for
Business
Covenant's most popular major among 2025 graduates, with a minor in entrepreneurship available.
Known for
Biblical and Theological Studies
A top-five major that reflects the college's place as the college of the Presbyterian Church in America.
Known for
Education
Offered at the undergraduate level and through the Graduate School of Education's MAT and M.Ed. programs.
Known for
Pre-Engineering Dual Degree
Lets students combine a Covenant liberal arts degree with engineering training at a partner university.
All degree programs at Covenant College (37)
Majors
Art · BA
Biblical & Theological Studies · BA
Biology · BA
Business · BA
Chemistry · BA
Computer Science · BA
Economics · BA
Education · BA
English · BA
History · BA
Interdisciplinary Studies · BA
International Studies · BA
Mathematics · BA
Music · BA
Philosophy · BA
Physics · BA
Political Science · BA
Poverty and Development · BA
Pre-Engineering Dual Degree
Psychology · BA
Sociology · BA
Sport Management · BA
World Languages · BA
Minors and certificates only
Arts Administration
Entrepreneurship
Environmental Stewardship & Sustainability
Journalism and Society
Medical Ethics Consultation
Neuroscience
Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
Lookout Mountain Hotel, 1940s · PicnoogaCovenant College Homecoming 2026 · Covenant CollegeCovenant College Athletics 2019-20 · Covenant ScotsChip's Good Word - Covenant Students Volunteering In Community · WDEF News 12
Its main building is. Carter Hall opened in 1928 as the Lookout Mountain Hotel, nicknamed the 'Castle in the Clouds,' and Covenant bought it in 1964. It now holds offices, the dining hall and student rooms.
Where is Covenant College?
On top of Lookout Mountain in northwest Georgia, just over the Tennessee line and about 15 minutes from downtown Chattanooga. Its mailing address is on Scenic Highway in Lookout Mountain, Georgia.
What denomination is Covenant College?
It is the college of the Presbyterian Church in America and teaches from a Reformed Christian perspective. Its motto is 'In all things Christ preeminent.'
What division is Covenant College?
The Scots compete in NCAA Division III as members of the Collegiate Conference of the South.
How many students attend Covenant College?
1,100 in Fall 2024 (1,087 undergraduates), according to the U.S. Department of Education. The college reported 1,026 undergraduates in Fall 2025.
What are the most popular majors at Covenant?
Among 2025 graduates: business, psychology, biology, education and English (tied), and biblical and theological studies.
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