History of Brevard, North Carolina
Scotch-Irish immigrants who were attracted by the rich soil and abundant game and natural resources settled this area in the early 1800’s. Many of these original settlers were farmers. Much of what is now forest used to be farmland and many of Brevard’s current residents are the successors of these original settlers.
By 1860, the population had grown enough for residents to establish a town near Rock Springs. Transylvania County came into being in 1861 when Representative Joseph P. Jordan introduced a bill to the North Carolina House of Commons to establish a new county from parts of Henderson and Jackson Counties. Having been born on a farm near Blantyre in Transylvania, it is no surprise that Jordan chose the name “Transylvania” for his new county. (The name, “Transylvania,” comes from the Latin, “trans” for “across” and “sylvan” for “woods.”) Jordan’s bill also provided for the requested new town in the county. The bill was approved on February 15, 1861.
The first official meeting of the Transylvania County court was held May 20, 1861 (by coincidence, the same day North Carolina seceded from the Union) in a one-room country store. Alex F. England, Leander S. Gash, and Braxton C. Lankford jointly donated 50 acres for a town site. Brevard was chosen as the name for the new town as a tribute to a notable man, Ephriam Brevard, a colonel in the Revolutionary Army and surgeon. Brevard grew slowly and started with only two or three stores, a new courthouse and county jail, two churches and a dozen residences.
Near the turn of the century a rail line was built through the county. It served not only to transport some of the nation’s wealthiest families to vacations at Lake Toxaway, but also to carry much of the timber logged in the area to sawmills. Due to the amount of logging, lumber companies, sawmills, and tanning companies became profitable businesses.
Transylvania County got its first modern industry and industrial jobs after World War I when Harry Strauss opened a paper manufacturing plant located on the edge of the Davidson River. This plant called Ecusta has been a major employer in the county for years.