Galloway-Radford House Added as Landmark

As an update to the January 4, 2016 Picturing the Past article, there are 21 Locally Designated Historic Landmarks.  The Galloway-Radford House was added this past summer.

The Galloway-Radford House has peddledash exterior
and brick corner pilasters.  The one-story porch wraps
from the front around both sides of the house.

Thomas C. Galloway was born on November 27, 1837 in what was then Buncombe County.  He served with the Transylvania Volunteers for almost 3 years during the Civil War until being wounded.   He was later Captain of Company H, 69^th Regiment.  Following the war he settled in Alabama where he married and raised a family.  After the death of his first wife, Galloway married Belle McCarrell and returned to Brevard.  Galloway was 72 years old at the time, Belle was 26. 

The Galloways built a large two-story Queen Anne/Colonial Revival style home on the edge of Brevard.  The home is located on a hill that would have had a view of farmlands and the French Broad River valley.  Thomas Galloway died on August 3, 1917 and is buried in Gadsden, Alabama.

On December 29, 1919 Belle married Samuel Radford.  Census records state that Radford was a real estate salesman. 

For many years Belle operated a boarding house for summer visitors at their home.  A tourism brochure from the early 1920s offers this description, “With modern conveniences and a central location, the Radford home, conducted by Mrs. S.W. Radford, is a favorite with many visitors who enjoy the home-like air and satisfying fare and service.  It is most convenient to many points of interest, walks, drives and motor rides, yet emphasizes the pleasures of country life to the full.”

For more information on Local Designations and the Joint Historic Preservation Commission contact Transylvania County Planning & Community Development.

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.

East Main Street Part of National Register

The East Main St. Historic District represents historical, architectural and cultural importance to the city of Brevard. The district, encompassing East Main from Rice St. to Wilson Dr., was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.  It reflects the economic growth and prosperity of Brevard following the arrival of the railroad in 1895.

As Brevard developed at the turn of the 20^th century East Main Street stretched beyond downtown into an area with an upscale hotel and large modern homes.  The street was wide and lined with old trees making the area very desirable.  Several of the residences also served as boarding houses for summer visitors.

The King-Old Town Cemetery contains
approximately 45 marked graves from 1877-1975.

Contributing properties within the district include private homes and accompanying outbuildings plus Brevard-Davidson River Presbyterian Church, St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, King-Old Town Cemetery, The Inn at Brevard, and Silvermont. 

The Lankford Cleveland House's Gothic Revival and late-Victorian style
reflects the period around 1900 when it was updated and expanded.

The Lankford-Cleveland House on North Rice St. is the oldest of the structures in the district.  The original part of the home was constructed around 1858 by B.C. Lankford.  Lankford was a community leader and early official for both Transylvania County and the Town of Brevard.  Lankford, L.S. Gash and Alexander England donated 50 acres to establish the town.

John and Mary Cleveland purchased the property in 1913.  Although updates and additions, including a carriage house, have been made all date to the first half of the 20^th century and the home is a significant property in the East Main St. Historic District.

The most recently constructed homes in the district are the Deyton-Goodwin-Lefler House, built in 1949 and the Kelley-Truesdail House, built in 1950.  Both are located on the north side of East Main where it curves down toward Wilson Dr.  The Deyton-Goodwin-Lefler house is Colonial Revival in style, while the Kelley-Truesdail house is Minimal Traditional style.  Both are constructed of brick and fit well within the wide-ranging mix of late-19^th to mid-20^th century architectural styles in the neighborhood.

There are six properties within the district that are also individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  They are the Charles Orr House, The Inn at Brevard (Breese House), St. Philip’s, Silvermont, the Morrow House, and the Brombacher House.  In addition The Inn at Brevard, the Orr, Morrow and Brombacher houses, along with the Chapman, Paxton-Kizer and Galloway-Radford houses are all Locally Designated properties.

More detailed information on the East Main St. area and Brevard during the time of its development is available from the National Register of Historic Places description at the Library and in Transylvania: The Architectural History of a Mountain County.

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.

Brevard's Main Street is a Historic District

The Main Street Historic District in Brevard was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.  The district is located in the center of town and covers approximately thirteen acres.  The district includes three blocks of Main St. and one block on each of South Broad, Jordan, North Caldwell and Probart streets, plus buildings in the Times Arcade Alley.

In January 2014 the end building from this row of four building
on North Caldwell was torn down because of structural problems.
It was a contributing building to the Main Street Historic District.

To be considered buildings had to be at least 50 years old at the time and have only slight renovations.  Within the area there were originally 32 buildings that met the criteria.  Twelve additional buildings are considered non-contributing because they have undergone extensive architectural changes and loss of integrity.

Two others are non-contributing because they were less than 50 years old in 2002.  The former county administration building was originally built as the Transylvania County Library in 1956 and Love’s Jewelry was constructed in 1965.

The oldest building is the Transylvania County Courthouse, which was completed in 1881.  The jail was constructed in 1921 behind the courthouse.  An addition completed in 1984 connects the two buildings. 

The McMinn Building, located across Broad St. from the courthouse, is the oldest commercial building in the district.  Built in 1899, the McMinn Building was the first brick commercial building in Brevard and set the tone for the style of buildings in the downtown business district.

These two buildings are also individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The majority of the other buildings were constructed prior to the Depression.  The buildings range from one to three stories and most are common brick bond or stucco. 

Those that are non-contributing have had their facades replaced with siding, parapet walls removed and windows and doors replaced. 

Around 1970 Patterson’s, on the south side of West Main St., replaced their storefront with modern brick veneer.  That has since been removed returning the building to its earlier look.

The Aetholdwold, constructed in 1905, was also a non-contributing building because its entire third floor and the one-story portico with balustrade on the Broad St. side had been removed.  The building has undergone major restoration work, including rebuilding the third floor in recent years.

These two photographs, taken nearly 90 years apart,
illustrates how major changes to the exterior of buildings
eliminated them from being contributing structures.

The summary and inventory of the properties in the Main Street Historic District, along with photographs from the 1991 architectural survey are available in the Local History Room.  More information is also available in Transylvania: The Architectural History of a Mountain County.

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.

County's Historic Places and Landmarks

The Joint Historic Preservation Commission assists property owners in designating local historic landmarks.  As an advisory board to the Transylvania County Commissioners, the City of Brevard and the Town of Rosman it safeguards the heritage of the county by preserving properties of cultural, historical or architectural value.

The front porch of the stack-stone Adirondack style Brombacher House
on East Main St.  This property is individually listed as both a local and
national historic place and is part of the East Main Street Historic District.

The National Register of Historic Places is a federal program administered by the National Park Service in partnership with state governments to recognize and protect properties of historic and cultural significance.  National Register listing is primarily an honor and does not restrict a private owner unless the owners seeks a federal grant, tax credit or special permit.

While the Local Historic Landmark and National Register of Historic Places programs both recognize and protect historic properties they are two different programs. 

There are 20 properties in Transylvania County designated as Local Historic Landmarks.  There are also 20 individually listed Transylvania County properties on the National Register of Historic Places.  Nine properties currently receive both types of recognition.

The first floor fireplace on the Allison side of the Allison-Deaver House,
which is also on both lists.

In addition, Transylvania County has two historic districts which include multiple properties.  The Main Street Historic District in Brevard runs from England St. to Gaston St. and includes buildings in the Times Arcade Alley and on Caldwell, Jordan, Probart streets.  There are 31 contributing structures within the Main Street Historic District.

The East Main St. Historic District contains 36 public and residential buildings. The district encompasses East Main from Rice St. to Wilson Dr.

Over the next several weeks Picturing the Past will take a look at many of these historic properties beginning with the Main Street and East Main districts.

The Grogan House on Elm Bend is one of the properties designated
as a Local Landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places.

For more information on the role of the Joint Historic Preservation Commission contact Transylvania County Planning and Community Development.

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.