Preserving Transylvania's Burial Grounds and Cemeteries

Picturing the Past has looked at organizations that work to preserve our history and heritage during Preservation Month.  One group many people do not think of in connection with preservation is the Transylvania County Cemetery Board of Trustees.   

This Board, appointed by the Transylvania County Commissioners, is charged with identifying and protecting burial sites.  Important roles of the Cemetery Board include assessing abandoned cemeteries regularly and investigating previously unidentified or long abandoned grave sites.  They recently compiled a list of 125 cemeteries located on public, private and government property in the county.

There are 52 cemeteries on public property.  Most of them are active, meaning the property owners continue to provide maintenance and burials still occur.  Several are owned by an active church or were originally the burial grounds for a congregation that is no longer active. 

King-Old Town Cemetery on Rice St. in Brevard is one of five public cemeteries that are no longer active.  There are 54 known graves on the site dating from 1877 to 1975.  The other inactive public cemeteries are Little River-McGaha Chapel, Ray Cemetery, Shady Grove and the upper cemetery at Old Toxaway Baptist Church.  Although these cemeteries do not allow additional burials most are being cared for to some extent.

Martha  McCall, wife of Samuel McCall, was born on February 27, 1855 and
died on February 27,  1892.  A new stone was places in front of her damaged
headstone in the McCall family cemetery in the Pisgah National Forest in 1997.

There are 62 cemeteries on privately owned property, many of which contain a small number of graves of family members buried over a specific time period.  There are a few private cemeteries with 30-50 known graves.  Over half of these private sites continue to be maintained by descendants of those buried in them or the property owners.

An additional eleven cemeteries on the list are located on government land in the Pisgah National Forest, DuPont State Forest and Gorges State Park.  Most of these burial sites have only a few known graves.  The Moore family cemetery in DuPont State Forest and the McCall family cemetery in the Pisgah National Forest both have around 60-70 known graves.

These cemeteries are a vital piece of our cultural history and heritage and should be treated as such.  It is important to note that many older graves are simply marked with a fieldstone with no inscriptions and should not be moved.

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.

Local Museums Offer An Opportunity to Learn More About Local and Regional History

Picturing the Past has been featuring local organizations working to preserve Transylvania’s historic places and cultural heritage during Preservation Month in May. This week’s article features two local institutions with the common goal of sharing the stories of our past through their collections and exhibits.

Sewing machines, irons, sewing boxes and patterns are among
the items in the Transylvania Heritage Museum exhibit,
"Generation of Creations:  Spinning, Weaving & Quilting."

The Transylvania Heritage Museum’s collection contains a wide variety of memorabilia, from arrowheads to a mid-century television and record player console recently donated by a local family. Objects from the collection, along with items loaned by community members, are used in exhibits that change twice a year.  The current exhibit features the handiwork of past generations of spinners, weavers, quilters and seamstresses.

Other items like Dr. Lyday’s medical bag, currently on display at the Transylvania County Library, are occasionally loaned for use by partnering institutions. Traveling panel exhibits from the Heritage Museum are on display at the Rosman Town Hall, the Transylvania County Register of Deeds Office, the Transylvania County Schools Administration Offices and the Allison-Deavor House.

The Heritage Museum also provides a variety of educational opportunities including presentations, guided walking tours of Brevard and teaching trunks for educators. The Heritage Museum is located at 189 West Main St. and is open Wednesday through Saturday.

Veterans Museum volunteer, David Morrow
stands in front of his father's WWII Army
medals, ribbons and mementos

The Veterans Museum of the Carolinas honors men and women from North and South Carolina who served in the armed forces.  Displays contain artifacts and information covering wars and conflicts the U.S. has been in involved from World War I to present day.  The exhibits feature a wide variety of military uniforms and weaponry, along with original newspapers, personal letters, mementos and more. 

The Veterans Museum, located beside the Transylvania County Courthouse, is open Wednesday through Sunday.  They offer lectures, movies and other special events, including group tours and presentations for schools and organizations. 

Both museums, which are free to visitors and handicap accessible, offer a great opportunity to learn more about local and regional history.

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.

Transylvania's Historic Properties Are Open to Public

May is Preservation Month—a good time to visit one of Transylvania County’s historic properties open to the public. These sites include the Allison-Deaver House, McGaha Chapel, Silvermont Mansion and the Cradle of Forestry.

The main living area of the Deaver portion of the Allison-Deaver House
features a table made of wood harvested on the property, as well as
items from Deaver family descendants. 

Located near the entrance to the Pisgah National Forest the historic Allison-Deaver House, owned and maintained by the Transylvania County Historical Society, provides visitors with look at two eras of the House’s history. The oldest section of the two-story wood-frame home was constructed in 1815 by Benjamin Allison. The rooms on this side of the home reflect the life of settlers in the early 1800s. William Deaver purchased the house and property in 1830.  Prior to the Civil War, he enlarged the home and added a double front porch. The rooms on the Deaver side of the home are furnished to show a more prosperous lifestyle in the mid-to-late 1800s. The Allison-Deaver House is open Saturday and Sunday afternoons through mid-October. 

The Transylvania County Historical Society also owns the historic McGaha Chapel.  The Chapel, completed in 1872, was a bridge to healing the divide caused by family members and friends fighting on opposite sides during the Civil War.  Visit the Historical Society’s website, www.tchistoricalsociety.com, for upcoming events at both sites.

This room in the 2nd Floor House Museum at Silvermont
represents Joseph Silversteen's office

Silvermont, a 33-room Colonial Revival mansion on East Main Street in Brevard, was the home of the Silversteen family.  The 8-acre park, operated by Transylvania County Parks and Recreation includes a playground, walking trail and picnic area.  The 2^nd Floor House Museum showcases the family, their impact on the local economy and role in society.  Operated by the Transylvania Heritage Museum, the 2^nd Floor House Museum is open on Thursday evenings and Friday afternoons throughout the summer. The Friends of Silvermont also provide support in the preservation, renovation and upkeep of the mansion and grounds.

The Cradle of Forestry, located in Pisgah National Forest, commemorates America’s first forestry school. The Biltmore Forest School was founded by Dr. Carl Schenck in 1898 on the vast property owned by George Vanderbilt. This heritage site offers opportunities to explore interpretive trails and interactive exhibits. The Biltmore Campus Trail winds passed a one-room schoolhouse, a general store, cabins, a blacksmith shop and a garden where visitors experience the lives of the first forestry students and the families who lived in the area in the early 1900s.

Next week Picturing the Past will feature the Transylvania Heritage Museum and the Veterans History Museum of the Carolinas both located in downtown Brevard.

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.

Organizations Encourage Historic Preservation

The Brevard Historic Downtown Walking Tour Guide
is available at the Transylvania County Library and the
Transylvania Chamber of Commerce.  It is also available
online to download and print.

In 1973 the National Register of Historic Places established May as Preservation Month to encourage heritage tourism by promoting historic places across the country. 

There are several organizations in Transylvania County that actively work to preserve historic places and our local cultural heritage. The “Our History” page on Transylvania County’s website provides information about some of the groups dedicated to protecting our history for future generations and sharing Transylvania’s story with visitors and local residents.

The Joint Historic Preservation Commission (JHPC) is a county advisory board that works to designate landmarks and educate the public about the importance of historic preservation. The JHPC website features 21 buildings throughout the county that are locally designated as architecturally and historically significant and two national historic districts in Brevard.

Last year JHPC partnered with the Heart of Brevard and the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room of the Transylvania County Library to produce the Brevard Historic Downtown Walking Tour Guide highlighting eighteen historic buildings in the Main Street National Historic District.  This brochure provides tidbits of history while you stroll through downtown.  For more detailed information on these buildings visit the website at www.transylvaniacounty.org/departments/planning-and-community-development/history or the Local History Room at the Transylvania County Library.

The Local History Room is the repository for the photographs and notes of nearly 500 properties included in Transylvania’s architectural survey undertaken in the early 1990s, as well as hundreds of additional photographs and resources available to research Transylvania’s people and places.

The Transylvania Heritage Museum conducts guided walking tours in Brevard’s downtown area on the second Saturday of each month from April to October.  Visit their website, www.transylvaniaheritage.org, for more information about specific tours.

By starting at Transylvania County’s “Our History” website, www.transylvaniacounty.org/our-history, users can access the information featured in today’s Picturing the Past article.  Next week’s article will cover historic properties open to the public.

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.