It may be hard to believe, but at one time a small four-acre lake may have once existed at the intersection of Country Club Road and Illahee Road as part of the planned “Montclove Estates” subdivision.

“Montclove” was a family vacation home built in 1854 by Francis Johnstone of Charleston, SC, who was one of the early founders of Transylvania County. Johnstone and his wife Lelia had no children to survive into adulthood, and so the property was inherited by a nephew in 1882. Through the years the large parcel of land was bought and sold several times, until it was subdivided into lots for a planned residential community that was advertised as “Montclove Estates” in 1926.

Montclove Estates was designed around bringing a golf course to Brevard. The country club lifestyle was part of the draw of this proposed community, and as the lots were sold, news articles would pop up to encourage more buyers to join the exclusive residential area. At that time, the Montclove house was designated as the country clubhouse for the subdivision. The name “Country Club Road” was put into use at this time.

Another selling point for the community was the promised addition of a lake that would be stocked with bream and bass for the pleasure fishing of residents. This lake was to be created by damming the small stream on the lot, a tributary of the French Broad River. It’s unclear if the lake was completed, and how long it was in existence.

The golf course and associated country club opened in April of 1929, with an open house intended to attract new members. The club’s days were short-lived, however, as the property was lost later in the year due to the stock market crash and resulting economic depression. Montclove the house sat empty until 1935 when it was bought by the Gilfellin family, who still own it today.

The Montclove Estates Lake had one more encore for a brief time. In the early 1960s, the town of Brevard started investing in preliminary work on refurbishing the dam and restoring the lake. Bud and Hale “Guis” Siniard were called in to consult on the project. The brothers had a second-generation grading business for many years and were involved in numerous projects around the county, including at Brevard College, Olin, Brevard High School, and Pisgah National Forest.

The 1961 photo and caption indicate that the project was imminent, but a following article in 1964 states that the dam project was approved and would start soon, suggesting that it had not yet been put into action. It doesn’t seem that the revitalized lake ever came to be. It is unclear why, but it is relatively common for public works projects to be redirected with changing priorities. There is no trace in the newspapers of it being built after this time.

The area is mostly residential now, but just as lovely as when the Montclove Estates subdivision was proudly offering lots to growing Transylvania County.

Photographs and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room, Transylvania County Library. This article was written by Local History Librarian Laura Sperry. Sources available upon request. For more information, comments, or suggestions, contact NC Room staff at [email protected] or 828-884-1820.