Brevard

BREVARD

"The village of Brevard, the capital town of Transylvania, consists of about fifty houses. It is situated a short distance from the French Broad [river]. The distance from Asheville is thirty-two miles; from Hendersonville, the nearest railraod point, a third less. One of the most noted places reached from Brevard is shining Rock, seen from mountain tops thirty miles distant. (1883. Zeigler, Wilbur and Ben Grosscup. Western North Carolina, p.356.)
"The road from Brevard to Hendersonville runs through the widest part of the French Broad valley, and part of the way follows the river bank. The Government has expended $44,000 in deepening and straightening the channel between the mouth of Ochlawaha creek and Brevard. The result is a sixteen inch channel for a distance of seventeen miles. A small boat makes semi-weekly excursion trips during the summer months. It was once pushed as far up as Brevard, but in ordinary stages of water, twelve miles above the landing is the limit of navigation. The road from Brevard to Asheville, is through the valley of Boylston, at the mouth of Mill's river, and around the base of long projecting spurs of [Mt.] Pisgah. (1883. Zeigler, Wilbur and Ben Grosscup. Western North Carolina, pp. 356, 357.)
"Transylvania. This county was formed in 1861, while Marcus Erwin was in the senate and Joseph Jordan of Henderson county was in the house. M. N. Patton was its first representative, in 1864. Court was held in a store room on what is now Caldwell street, Brevard. The first regular court house was a small frame building which stood on site of present building. It was built by George Clayton and Eph. England, contractors, and was not quite complete in 1866....The present court house was built about 1874 by Thomas Davis contractor. Probit Poore built what is still known at the "Red House," before the Civil War; but it was not used as a hotel till William Moore opened it as such, and this was the first hotel in Brevard....Just prior to the Civil War, while Transylvania was a part of Henderson county, many wealthy and fashionable people from the lower part of South Carolina bought many of the finest farms and built what were palatial homes for those days. Among them were Frank McKune and William Johnston from Georgetown, S.C. Their fine teams and liveried servants are still remembered....A relative of the late P. T. Barnum , owns the Hankel place about three miles from Brevard on the French Broad river. He has an extensive chicken farm, containing 5,000 white Leghorns. His name is Clark. (1914. Arthur, John. Western North Carolina: A History from 1730-1913, pp. 203, 204.)