McCrary Tire Service located on Caldwell Street behind the Clayton Hotel, 1933-1939.

The McCrary
family spend nearly 70 years working in the automobile industry in
Brevard.  Carl McCrary and his younger
brother, Charlie began McCrary Tire and Battery Company in 1928.  Their first shop was located on the corner of
West Main and England streets, where the Brevard Fire Department is today.

In the early
1930s, during the depression, the Chevrolet dealership in Brevard closed.  Chevrolet actively recruited Carl McCrary to
take over the local franchise.  McCrary
initially resisted but finally agreed to a trial period.  By 1933 he had decided to formally become a
Chevrolet dealer in Brevard. 

A K&M wrecker in of McCrary Auto on N. Broad Street, 1940-1949. The building is the home of The Transylvania Times today.

As the
business grew McCrary Tire Service relocated to the corner of Caldwell and
Probart streets.  Continued growth
necessitated another move in 1939.  Renamed
McCrary Auto, they moved one block east into a building directly across the
street from the county jail which was located behind the courthouse.  They continued to operate a tire and recapping
shop at the Caldwell Street location into the late 1940s.

Economic
growth in Transylvania County following WWII meant potential sales for bigger,
more expensive cars.  McCrary Auto added
Oldsmobile to their dealership in 1947. 
This addition required more space so once again McCrary Auto relocated.

Tom McCrary (right) and Buddy Wiley in McCrary’s Auto’s showroom of their new location, October 1949.

In 1949 they
built a new facility on the Asheville Highway on a four and one-half acre lot
where Burger King and the Fifth Third Bank are currently.  The October 1949 Grand Opening featured the
Briarhopper band from Charlotte, Brevard High cheerleaders, and numerous door prizes.  It was reported that three to four thousand
people attended the event.

Tom McCrary,
who had grown up in the business, officially went to work there in 1951.  He worked in all aspects of the business and
took over as president of the company following his father’s death in
1967.  Tom sold the dealership to Frank
Wood in 1979 but continued to operate a body shop, auto parts and service
center, and wrecker service until he passed away in November 1994.  Tom McCrary also sold John Deere tractors
from 1984-1994.

McCrary Auto, July 1959.

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.