Change Was Constant For Brevard Schools

From the late 1930s through the late 1950s Transylvania County began consolidating schools.  The smaller rural schools that had been scattered throughout the county were gradually closed and children were bused to larger modern schools.

Brevard Middle Elementary School

In Brevard all grades attended classes in one building located on the corner of Morgan and Broad beginning in 1908.  From 1919-1924 that building was just for the elementary grades. 

Then in 1925 former high school on Morgan Street became the Elementary School.  The old white school house was known as the Grammar School and served the lower grades.  After the 1935-36 school year it was declared unfit and demolished.  All elementary grades attended the school on Morgan Street for 2 ½ years.

Brevard Primary School

In August 1937 it was announced that a new school would be built using WPA labor on the corner of Broad & Morgan.  The WPA also provided a large part of the materials and 70% of the cost.  Known as the Primary School, it was used for lower grades for nearly 40 years.

When the last of Brevard’s three elementary level schools opened on Gaston Street in August 1948 it served grades 6-8.  Grades 3-5 were in the Middle Elementary School and grades 1 & 2 in the Primary School.  Later the distribution of grades changed to 3^rd and 4^th in the middle building and 5^th and 6^th in the Upper Elementary School.

On the north and east side of the county the elementary students transitioned into the Pisgah Forest, Straus, Penrose and Brevard schools.

The rock school house at Pisgah Forest was built using a combination of WPA and county funds.  It opened in November 1942 and operated through the 1979-1980 school year.  Blue Ridge Community College was located there from the early 1980s through the mid-1990s.  Since 1997 the Davidson River School has been located in the building.

Penrose and Straus Elementary were both scheduled to open at the start of the 1951-52 school year but construction delays postponed the opening of Penrose until later in the fall.  The old Enon and Little River schools continued to be used until it was ready.

Straus Elementary opened in September 1951 serving the growing population on the north side of Brevard, along with students bused in from the Cedar Mountain and Connestee school districts and later students from Pisgah Forest. 

With the construction and opening of the current Pisgah Forest Elementary in January 1992 both Penrose and Straus were closed.  Today the former Penrose School is part of Anchor Baptist Church & Ministry and Blue Ridge Community College is located in the former Straus School.

If you have old photographs of Penrose, Pisgah Forest or Straus Elementary Schools that you would be willing to share as part of the photograph collection in the Local History Room at the Library please contact Marcy.  If you prefer to hold on to your photographs, bring them by and we can scan them or donate a copy.

In 1960 the first Brevard Jr. High opened in the old high school with grades 7-9 from Brevard, Straus and Penrose Elementary Schools.  Although Penrose 7^th graders didn’t go there until 1966 when all 9^th graders started as Freshmen at BHS.  From 1966-1974 Brevard Jr. High included only grades 7-8.

During the first semester of the 1974-75 school year 6^th graders from Brevard, Straus, and Pisgah Forest Elementary Schools attended their current school.   To relieve overcrowding at Penrose Elementary 6^th graders from that school were moved to town.

In January 1975 Brevard Middle School opened for all 6-8 graders in the Brevard district.  Brevard Elementary School also opened in January 1975.

Brevard Upper Elementary School

With all grades now in new buildings the two oldest of the downtown school buildings were torn down during the next few years.  The former Primary School now houses the Tax Administration and Register of Deeds offices and the Upper Elementary School is the Community Services building today.

Transylvania County Schools began kindergarten classes in 1973 with two classes in Brevard and one at Pisgah Forest Elementary.   The following year there was one class with 26 students at each elementary school, except Brevard which had two classes.  This did not serve all kindergarten age children in the county so the lottery system was used to determine who attended.

Photographs and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room, Transylvania County Library.  Visit the NC Room during regular library hours (Monday-Friday) to learn more about our history and see additional photographs.  For more information, comments or suggestions contact Marcy at marcy.thompson@transylvaniacounty.org or 828-884-3151 X242.