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Brevard, North Carolina is my hometown. We lived here until 1951 when my grandfather died and my family moved back to my mother's home place in Lake Toxaway to care for my grandmother. I started school early because there weren't enough children in the area to fill the room. When we moved back to Brevard I was in the first grade, but coming from a one-room schoolhouse in the Lake Toxaway community, Straus Elementary School was intimidating for a little mountain girl. Those hallways were so big, and there were so many kids. 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 that were once isolated are now 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 proven themselves to indeed be the Promised Land. Prior to Caucasian 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, because the land was already heavily settled there but still plentiful in the Carolinas. Transylvania County was considered Cherokee Country until at least 1785. The name Transylvania County means "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 one third dedicated to national forest. There are more than 250 waterfalls, with over 30 of them being 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. A fine place for hiking is Graveyard Fields with its meandering creek and waterfalls. The name Brevard comes from Dr. Ephraim Brevard, a surgeon in the Revolutionary Army who was esteemed for drafting the Mecklenburg Declaration. This bill was written May 20, 1775, a full year before Thomas Jefferson penned the Declaration of Independence. Brevard is the county seat of Transylvania County. Transylvania County was formed in 1861 from portions of surrounding Henderson and Jackson counties. 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 ancestors of the early settlers as well as newcomers. They 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. Many of the original settlers were farmers. In fact, much of what now is forest used to be farmland. Transylvania County is a recreational paradise. With over 250 waterfalls and 46% of its land in either state or national forests, there's a lot to see and do; and pleasant weather to boot. There will be a couple or so weeks in the summer hotter than you would like and a couple or so weeks in the winter colder than you would like; but most of the year you will find near perfect. Most years we are blessed with ample rainfall, usually in the afternoon or night leaving beautiful mornings for golf and other outdoor activities. Even on the hottest summer days, we can look forward to cool evenings with concerts at the Brevard Music Center and plays at the Flat Rock Playhouse. If Brevard sounds like your kind of place.... Contact me at dmason@citcom.net
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