Silversteen Home Stands Test of time

A three-part Palladian window on the stair landing
allows for plenty of light in Silvermont's large entrance hall.

The Silvermont mansion on East Main Street was the home of Joseph and Elizabeth Silversteen and their three daughters. 

As a young couple, Joseph and Elizabeth Mount Silversteen moved to Transylvania County to begin their life together.  Joseph, a Russian immigrant, had trained and worked as a tanner in Pennsylvania.  He saw an opportunity in tanning and lumbering in the mountains of Western North Carolina.  He started the Toxaway Tanning Company in the town of Toxaway in 1902.  By the time he began Gloucester Lumber Company in 1910 the town had been renamed Rosman.  Silversteen harvested timber from thousands of acres in the western part of the county.  The Silversteen family lived in Rosman for several years.

A baby grand Steinway piano was the central feature in the parlor.

In 1917 Silversteen’s Transylvania Tanning Company opened on the west side of Brevard.  Joseph Silversteen was also involved in other business and community development ventures and was even a part owner of the Franklin Hotel for a short time.  Mr. and Mrs. Silversteen were active in numerous civic organizations.  Their work had a major effect on both the welfare and the economy of the county.

In early 1917 the Silversteen family moved to their new home in Brevard.  Miriam was 12 years old, Dorothy was 11, and Adelaide was 7 at the time.  Their new home was over 10,000 square feet with 33 rooms, including seven bedrooms.  The National Register of Historic Places inventory nomination form describes it as having “an intercom system with a buzzer in every room so the family could ring the maid, an elevator, walk-in closets in every room with automatic lights, seven fireplaces, 12-inch solid concrete support walls, classic bathrooms with the typical pedestal sinks.”

The sitting room was to the right as guests entered.

When Dorothy, the last family member, died in 1972 she willed Silvermont and the surrounding 8 acres to the county “as a recreation and community center for the benefit of the citizens of Transylvania County.”  In 2011, a House Museum reflecting the era and lifestyle of the Silversteen family was created on the 2^nd floor through volunteer efforts.  The Silvermont House Museum is open on the third Friday afternoon of each month.  It will be open Friday, April 21, 2:00-4:00 pm.

The dining room furniture, along with other Silversteen family pieces,
are showcased in the Silvermont House Museum.

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 828-884-1820.