On June 23, 1997, developer William McKee purchased the 315-acre Harry H. Straus Park from P.H. Glatfelter, then-owner of the old Ecusta/Olin paper factory, for $4,000,000.  In today’s money, McKee

History can sometimes be difficult to pin down, with contradictory sources. Previous research did not indicate that enslaved people were present on the land that would become Everett Farm; new

While there is much about the beginnings of Epworth School (which later became Brevard Institute), the lives of its founders, Fitch and Sarah Taylor, are also noteworthy. Their passion and

The Ecusta Paper Corporation held its inaugural 4th of July picnic in 1939, complete with a free barbeque supper for employees as well as the 1,000 workmen who helped construct

Ernie’s Rock Shop still bears the sign of the business that once resided there, though the enterprise closed their doors last year. Some may not realize how long the business

Many of the first settlers of Transylvania County came here before it was officially designated by that name. One such founding family is that of Lambert Clayton, Revolutionary War veteran

The Franklin Hotel opened in Brevard in July 1900.  J. Frances Hayes and his business partners had purchased the Hendersonville-Brevard Railway Telegraph and Telephone Company, renamed it Transylvania Railroad Company,

Tourism brochures dating from around 1907 through 1929 invite “vacationists” to relax in the small-town comforts of Brevard and Transylvania County.  Although there were several larger hotels including the Aethelwold