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| Many of the Whitmire St. homes had low rock walls at the front of the lot. |
Whitmire Street
was laid out by W.P. and J.C. Whitmire through their property on the north side
of Brevard in 1894. With the arrival of
the railroad in Transylvania County and the Brevard Depot being constructed the
road benefited the town by providing additional access in that area. The Whitmires sold lots on both sides of the
street from Caldwell Street, which was the main route into Brevard from the
north, to Railroad Avenue. Moderate
size homes, mostly built in the early 1900s, lined the street. They included small cottages, one-and-one-half
story bungalows, and a couple of larger late-Victorian homes.
A 1907 Sylvan
Valley News editorial written by J.C. Whitmire states that the street was
nicknamed “Maple Street”, presumably because there were numerous maples along
it. He added that once the town acquired
the title to the street they could name it whatever they choose, however there
was already one Maple Street in Brevard.
Whitmire did not believe the name of Maple would stick. Time has proven him correct as the street is
known as Whitmire today.
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| This Victorian on Whitmire has recently been renovated. |
Flanked on the
east end by the large home of Major William Breese and Brevard Lumber on the
west end Whitmire St. was convenient to town but offered large backyards for
gardens. From 1945-1965 the Wesleyan Church was located
on the south side of Whitmire St. just west of this group of homes. Continuing west on Whitmire beyond the depot
was Pisgah Cotton Mill and additional small homes for mill workers.
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| By 1990 the steeple had been removed and the former Brevard Wesleyan Church was boarded up |
Today the
Breese house, the depot, and Pisgah Cotton Mill all are gone. Brevard Lumber has
been transferred into an arts district.
Several of the smaller houses on Whitmire St. have also been torn down,
while others have been renovated helping to revitalize the area.
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