Brevard

Images of America: North Carolina

by Susan M. Lefler

Brevard, North Carolina, "land of waterfalls," is tucked into a lush valley in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Brevard was founded as the county seat of Transylvania County in 1861, the year that North Carolina seceded from the Union. Wealthy families from South Carolina's Lowcountry had long summered in the mountains and, even after the war, the region maintained its powerful pull. The arrival of the railroads brought tourists to Brevard from all over the country-including Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, and Harvey Firestone-and the logging industry attracted entrepreneurs who made their fortunes here. Brevard reveals the city's rich heritage through a gallery of images: baptism in an icy river, an ostrich race on Main Street, a moonshine still. In these pages, the reader can visit grist mills, waterfalls, and exquisite hotels, explore the booming logging industry, relive parades and downtown scenes, and read the intriguing stories of local folks.

128 pages, Paperback

First published February 19, 2004

Reviews

[Mike Stewart · Rating 3 out of 5]

I own a number of books in this series, all about places in which I have lived or with which I am familiar, e.g. St. Augustine. This one is of course about our current location and where we owned a mountain house before moving here full time. Besides offering old photos of Brevard and environs, I learned a lot about the area's history. While enjoyable for me, I doubt anyone unfamiliar with the area would be particularly charmed.