From the geological events of prehistory that sculpted our rivers and moved our mountains to the celebration of Transylvania County as a world-class location for arts and adventure in recent decades, the history of these mountains is written across its landscape and woven into the rich tapestry of local culture.
Natural History
As part of the Appalachian Mountain chain, Transylvania County’s high peaks and rolling ridges were first created by a shift of geological plates about 450 million years ago. These early mountains eroded down into almost a flat plain over subsequent geological eras only to be uplifted into its current topography during the Cenozoic era.
These massive shifts created the distinctive folds and soft peaks of the Appalachians, in general, as well as some of Transylvania County’s most memorable geological features.
Cultural History
Hundreds of years before Europeans first dreamed of a New World, Cherokee Indians resided in the lush green valleys and forested ridges surrounding what is now Brevard, NC. Their ceremonial hunting paths followed the edge of the Davidson River through present day Brevard and on south into upstate South Carolina.
It was not until the end of the 18th century that the first Scotch-Irish settlers braved the mountain paths to make a permanent settlement in the shadow of the Blue Ridge. For almost a century, this would remain a small population, with Brevard as a rural outpost on thesites outer edges of the French Broad River area.
The year 1895 brought the railroad and with this new accessibility, Transylvania County’s reputation as one of North America’s most beautiful destinations. Entrepreneur J.F. Hays began work shortly thereafter on the land surrounded the newly created Lake Toxaway. Celebrities of the gilded age, including thinkers, tycoons and politicians would their pilgrimage to this beautiful resort in the early part of the 20th century.
Reading List
A number of celebrated writers have written evocative books about Transylvania County in particular and the Southern Appalachians in general. Here's a brief reading list:
- The French Broad by Wilma Dykeman
- Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier
- Cataloochee by Wayne Caldwell
- Oral History by Lee Smith
- Way We All Remember Well, A Journal of the History and Cultures of Western North Carolina by Robert S. Brunk
- Our Southern Highlanders by Horace Kephart
