The East Main St. Historic
District represents historical, architectural and cultural importance to the
city of Brevard. The district, encompassing East Main from Rice St. to Wilson
Dr., was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.  It reflects the economic growth and
prosperity of Brevard following the arrival of the railroad in 1895.

As Brevard developed at the turn
of the 20^th century East Main Street stretched beyond downtown into
an area with an upscale hotel and large modern homes.  The street was wide and lined with old trees
making the area very desirable.  Several
of the residences also served as boarding houses for summer visitors.

The King-Old Town Cemetery contains approximately 45 marked graves from 1877-1975.

Contributing properties within
the district include private homes and accompanying outbuildings plus
Brevard-Davidson River Presbyterian Church, St. Philip’s Episcopal Church,
King-Old Town Cemetery, The Inn at Brevard, and Silvermont. 

The Lankford Cleveland House’s Gothic Revival and late-Victorian style reflects the period around 1900 when it was updated and expanded.

The Lankford-Cleveland House on
North Rice St. is the oldest of the structures in the district.  The original part of the home was constructed
around 1858 by B.C. Lankford.  Lankford
was a community leader and early official for both Transylvania County and the
Town of Brevard.  Lankford, L.S. Gash and
Alexander England donated 50 acres to establish the town.

John and Mary Cleveland
purchased the property in 1913.  Although
updates and additions, including a carriage house, have been made all date to
the first half of the 20^th century and the home is a significant
property in the East Main St. Historic District.

The most recently constructed
homes in the district are the Deyton-Goodwin-Lefler House, built in 1949 and
the Kelley-Truesdail House, built in 1950. 
Both are located on the north side of East Main where it curves down
toward Wilson Dr.  The
Deyton-Goodwin-Lefler house is Colonial Revival in style, while the
Kelley-Truesdail house is Minimal Traditional style.  Both are constructed of brick and fit well
within the wide-ranging mix of late-19^th to mid-20^th
century architectural styles in the neighborhood.

There are six properties within
the district that are also individually listed on the National Register of
Historic Places.  They are the Charles
Orr House, The Inn at Brevard (Breese House), St. Philip’s, Silvermont, the Morrow
House, and the Brombacher House.  In
addition The Inn at Brevard, the Orr, Morrow and Brombacher houses, along with
the Chapman, Paxton-Kizer and Galloway-Radford houses are all Locally
Designated properties.

More detailed information on the
East Main St. area and Brevard during the time of its development is available
from the National Register of Historic Places description at the Library and in
Transylvania: The Architectural History of a Mountain County.

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
828-884-3151 X242.