James
Bromfield moved to Brevard in 1906.  He
purchased a lot near the depot to establish a coal and wood yard to supply fuel
to local customers.  In 1908 he was given
permission to extend a rail spur across Whitmire Street to his property
allowing for delivery of materials and expansion.

He
also purchased additional lots in the area around the depot that he leased to
other businesses.  One lot was used to
store dogwood for the Fontaine Block Factory where shuttle blocks for textile
mills were made. 

Bromfield
was involved with numerous other businesses, including building supplies, delivery
service, a brick factory, an ice factory and a laundry.  Ice was shipped from Charlotte and
distributed by Bromfield until 1912 when he built an ice factory in
Brevard.  The town of Brevard provided up
to 10,000 gallons of water a day for making ice to meet the demand in
communities from Penrose to Lake Toxaway. 

Bromfield’s
fuel, ice and laundry business employed 15 people by 1922.  In 1934 Bromfield sold his ice business but
continued to operate his wood, coal, laundry and transfer business until 1945.

In
1921 a group of local men organized Citizen’s Telephone Company.  They purchased the former Brevard Telephone
Company and expanded it into Pisgah Forest and other areas of the county.  Bromfield was the President and general
manager until 1937 when he sold his interest in the company.

In
1922 he built one of the first filling stations in Transylvania County on
Caldwell St.  He built additional filling
stations in Brevard over the next several years.  Charles Patton leased the station on the
corner of S. Broad and Morgan for many years. 
The Bromfield family still owned it in 1960 when Mrs. Bromfield
died. 

As a
businessman and civic leader, Bromfield was a stockholder with the Brevard
Building and Loan Association, a member of the Brevard Club and the Transylvania
Merchants Association.  The Brevard Club,
located on the third floor of the Auditorium, was a gentleman’s club with a
lounge, reading room, card and pool rooms and a dining room.  It provided businessman with a place to
relax, read newspapers and magazines and meet with friends.  They also promoted Brevard and Transylvania
County for businesses and tourism.

James S. Bromfield, pictured at the far left, was an active community leader in Brevard.  He served as Chief of the Brevard Fire Dept. for about 25 years. Bromfield resigned as fire chief in 1939.

In 1923
the Chamber of Commerce was created for the purpose of the advancement of
the commercial, industrial, agricultural, economic and civic interest of
Brevard and Transylvania County. 
Bromfield was a founding member of the Chamber of Commerce and the
president in 1927-1928.

He had
also been the building inspector for town of Brevard, was a member of the Board
of Aldermen and served on the Board of Education.  In addition, Bromfield belong to the Knights
of Pythias, Dunn’s Rock Masonic Lodge and Woodmen of the World.

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 [email protected]
or 828-884-1820.