Brevard North Carolina
“Land of the Waterfalls”
Town of Brevard NC
Brevard North Carolina is a small cozy town in Transylvania county southwest of Asheville in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Brevard is visited from travelers around the globe to experience its natural 250 waterfalls, national and state forests, music festivals, cycling trails, hiking, water sports, fishing, and beauty of the area. Brevard is well known not just from its many waterfalls but from the DuPont State Forest, and Pisgah National Forest, as well as boasting area locations for many Hollywood movies.
Brevard plays host to six fantastic festivals and three cycling events annually. such as the White Squirrel Music Festival, the Squirrel Box Derby, and the Old Time Music Competition, Assault on the Carolinas, and more.
Experience the home town feeling in downtown Brevard, a hub for the arts, outdoor recreation, more than 50 shops, antique malls, galleries, toy stores, restaurants, and more.
Brevard is home to the white squirrel. They are not albino because they have dark eyes, but are rather a rare breed that has flourished here since being “introduced” in 1951.
History of Brevard NC
This general area was settled in the early 1800s by Scots-Irish immigrants who were attracted by the rich soil, abundant game, natural resources, lush green valleys, densely forested, and the French Broad River. By 1860, the population had grown sufficiently that residents sought to establish a town near Rock Springs. Transylvania County came into being in 1861 when state 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 the new county. The name, “Transylvania,” comes from the Latin, “trans” for “across” and “sylvan” for “woods,” and could not have been more aptly chosen. Jordan’s bill also provided for the requested new town in the county. The bill was approved on February 15, 1861.
Alex F. England, Leander S. Gash, and Braxton C. Lankford jointly donated fifty 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 Surgeon in the North Carolina Continental Line during the American Revolution. Brevard grew slowly and started with only two or three stores, a new court house and county jail, two churches, and a dozen residences.
In 1899, the Transylvania Railroad was built through the county, taking passengers from Brevard to Hendersonville in neighboring Henderson County. It took some of the nation’s wealthiest families to vacation at Lake Toxaway and carried much of the timber logged in the area to sawmills. Due to the amount of logging done in the area, lumber companies sawmills, and tanning companies became profitable businesses.
- Pisgah National Forest
- DuPont State Recreational Forest
- Gorges State Park
- Nantahala National Forest
- French Broad River
- Davidson River
- Looking Glass Falls
- Sliding Rock
- Looking Glass Rock
- Moore Cove Falls
- Slick Rock Falls
- Skinny Dip Falls
- Brevard Music Center
- Brevard College
