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Brevard, North Carolina is my hometown. We lived there until 1951 when my grandfather died, and my family moved back to my mother's home place in the Lake Toxaway community to care for my grandmother. We lived there until I entered the third grade. Having come from a one-room schoolhouse, Straus Elementary School was intimidating. Those hallways were so wide, and there were so many kids. It even had "indoor" restrooms. The Straus School building now houses Blue Ridge Community College. The county’s timberlands became the first national forest established in the Eastern United States. George Vanderbilt’s Pisgah National Forest became the site of America’s first school of forestry. When Vanderbilt purchased land in Western North Carolina to build his estate, he named a high peak Mt. Pisgah for the mountain in the Bible from which Moses viewed the "Promised Land." Areas, once isolated, are in great demand as both full-time and part-time residences. Whether you have a half acre or 100 acres, you can still access the many rivers, waterfalls and hiking trails the county has to offer. For many people who have had the good fortune to visit or live in Western North Carolina, our mountains have over and over proven themselves to be, indeed, the Promised Land. Prior to white settlement, the Cherokee claimed an area of about 40,000 square miles encompassing land now located in the Carolinas, the Virginias, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama. Cherokee hunting parties conducted annual fall hunts through the upper French Broad River Valley. The Eastatoe Trail through Transylvania County became one of the most important routes in the mountains as it connected isolated areas with the trade route to Charleston. Many of the early settlers came this route with many others making the trip down from Pennsylvania as the land was taken there but available in the Carolinas. Transylvania County was considered Cherokee Country until at least 1785. The early part of the 18th century was especially interesting in what is now Transylvania County. The Sylvan Valley area which encompasses Rosman and Brevard was part of an "orphan strip" that came to be known as Walton County, Georgia. It had been considered a part of SC, then NC, then GA. Finally, through a survey and a minor war called the Walton War, it became a part of North Carolina. In 1971 Georgia briefly considered claiming the area again. The NC Militia had defeated GA in 1811 so NC told GA to send their militia and they would meet again. GA dropped the matter, but the latter part of the 20th century certainly saw GA's people coming in to purchase a lot of the property. Transylvania County was formed in 1861. Records from those early days are interesting, but hard to follow. After a while you realize that the settlers can be in NC, SC or GA without moving an inch. Just depends on who was doing the recording. The patriarch of my family, Samuel McCall, moved into the Cedar Rock area of what is now Pisgah National Forest prior to 1803 then on to Whiteside Cove in the Cashiers/Highlands area in 1840. Bobby McCall, who is believed to be Samuel's nephew, was already there. Since no land was to be had in Whiteside Cove by the time his youngest sons are of age, Samuel's sons, George and Jonathan, get land grants in the Clear Creek community starting the Highland's branch of the McCalls. His two daughters, Nancy and Jane, have married Pickelsimer men from Pickelsimer Fields next to Cedar Rock in Pisgah National Forest. They also move to Whiteside Cove. Benson and Jane Pickelsimer move on to the Little River community near Brevard establishing the Transylvania County branch of the Pickelsimer family. Samuel's sons Robert, John, Samuel, Jr. and daughter, Margaret, stay in Transylvania County. Margaret marries a Bryson and settles on what became the "Thomas Farm" now being developed by McKee Properties of Cashiers and Brevard. His three sons got large land grants in what is now Gloucester Township in the upper end of Transylvania County. Much of this land is now in the national forest system. Some of it was sold to Vanderbilt, then his widow sold to the government; some of it was taken by the government. Descendants of Robert, John and Samuel, Jr. still live on the old family land grants in the Balsam Grove and Silverstein communities in Gloucester Township. (I am out of the John McCall line.) Since the government now owns so much of the surrounding land, our family properties are now considered "in-holdings" and are threatened by the conservation groups who want to "restore" the Great Forest. Robert began acquiring property in 1827 and John in 1835. We dearly love our family properties and are not about to part with them. Our family properties, as well as the magnificent Blue Ridge Parkway, are accessed from Brevard by Highway 215. A new, safer road was scheduled to be built through a small segment of the forest in the late 90s, but was stopped by a small but vocal group. It would fragment a 4,284 acre tract (rounded off to 5,000 acres by enemies of the road) that was condemned and taken from the Gloucester Lumber Company in the 30s. Those of us who grew up in the Upper End of the county hardly consider this area as forest lands as it was still being logged by the lumber company as late as the 50s. I doubt that any of the enemies of the road were here in the 50s. It was treated as forest lands when they discovered our beautiful area. (As I have moved to other communities, I have refused to get involved in local issues. Even though I have sold real estate in Cashiers for many years, I am staying out of the incorporation fight as I do not live in the area to be incorporated. I think we should chose our battles very carefully if we are to win those most important to us. A new, safer Highway 215 is important to me and a battle I have chosen to fight.) Since it was built on the old railroad trellis from the logging days, it follows the north fork of the French Broad River. As our area is more and more a recreation spot for the rest of the state and country, bikers, hikers and water rafters also use the road. I cringe when I drive it, but most people are not aware of the danger of forcing school buses, large trucks and recreation traffic to use a narrow road with no shoulders. (To keep postponing the building of the new road, they suggest widening the present road. With it running along the river, talk about an environmental disaster! According to the NC DOT, they would also have to remove Alligator Rock to widen the road. It's hard for me to believe that people who support conservation would condone the removal of such a unique rock formation.)
Alligator Rock Once the new road is built, the old road should stay open for recreational traffic. What a delightful experience that will be without the present dangers. While the conservation groups who fight the new road consider it a "roadless area", there are many old logging roads and numerous 4-way intersections throughout the tract. The patriarch of my father's family, the Reverend Martin Mason, lived at the head of Mason's Creek in this section. After his death his widow Nancy Bracken Mason sold the land that is now being debated so much. Transylvania County, the name itself, meaning "over the trees " or " across the woods. " Other prominent names in the county are Cherokee as Cherokee Country covered most of Western North Carolina prior to white settlement. Toxaway and Connestee are from the Cherokee language. Over 80% of the county's 379 square miles is green with almost one half dedicated to national and state parks. There are more than 250 waterfalls, over 30 of them are accessible. In many places you are a short walk from breathtaking beauty. The Blue Ridge Parkway follows the natural northern boundary of the county. From there you will see scenic views at each turn of this famous roadway. My favorite hiking place is Graveyard Fields with the meandering creek and waterfalls. I like to just sit on a rock with my feet in the creek. The name Brevard comes from Ephriam Brevard, an officer in the Revolutionary Army, esteemed for drafting the Mecklenburg Declaration, written before Thomas Jefferson penned the national Declaration of Independence. The bill was passed on February 15, 1861 and became law. Shortly after that, Transylvania got 50 donated acres for a town site. Brevard grew slowly and started with only two or three stores, a new courthouse and county jail, two churches and a dozen residences. In the early days of the timber industry, the small town of Rosman, west of Brevard, was actually larger than Brevard. Growth of the new county was slow, hampered by both the Civil War and poor transportation. The railroad coming to aid the timber industry spurred growth in both the settlement and the beginning of the tourist industry. Tourism has become a substantial part of the county’s economy. As Rosman benefited from the timber business, Brevard became the center of government. By 1867 there were four physicians and two lawyers in Brevard. The area has become home to both the descendants of the early settlers as well as newcomers. People continue to migrate here to live, raise their families and retire. Our public schools are among the best in the state. Caring teachers make all the difference. The town of Rosman was settled in the early 1800's by Scotch-Irish immigrants. During the logging boom Rosman was bigger than Brevard. Brevard residents would shop the Gloucester Lumber Company Store as it had a greater variety than the shops in Brevard at the time. For more information on Brevard with
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