Historic House Ramble

In celebration of the 150^th anniversary of the incorporation of the Town of Brevard three local historical groups are teaming up to offer a unique tour of homes on Saturday, May 19 from 12:00-4:00 pm.  This is a rare opportunity to explore several homes with historical and architectural importance to the history of Brevard.
Tickets are $15 and can be purchased in advance at the Transylvania Heritage Museum at 189 W. Main St. or on the day of the event at Silvermont beginning at 11:00 am.  Silvermont is located at 364 E. Main St.

Visit Silvermont at the beginning of the tour to receive a map and tour guide with historical and architectural information on each home.  While at Silvermont guests can tour the Second Floor House Museum and learn about the Silversteen family.  Restroom facilities are available at Silvermont only.

Visitors can then tour the sites in any order but must have their ticket at each location.  Comfortable walking shoes are recommended as parking is limited at the houses.  The East Main St. homes are within 2-3 blocks of Silvermont and walkable.

Located on Rice St. the Lankford-Cleveland House is the oldest home in the East Main Street District.  Originally built in the mid-1800s by B.C. Lankford it underwent extensive updates and additions in the early half of the 20^th century.  The home’s significance lies in its first owner, 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 sold the Commissioners fifty acres for $1.00 to establish the county seat of Brevard.

Other homes within the historic East Main Street District that will be included are the Charles Orr House, Silvermont, the Cleveland-Kizer House, the Morrow Stone Cottage, Hemlock Hill, and the grounds of the Galloway-Radford House.  They were all constructed in the early to mid-1900s for prominent local residents and represent a variety of architectural styles.

The Charles Orr home, constructed in 1926, is a two-story English Manorial Revival house of local gray granite.  The stone for both the Orr home and St. Philip’s Episcopal Church across the street came from William Breese’s Cove Mill quarry.

Silvermont was the home of Joseph and Elizabeth Silversteen and their three daughters.  Today the 33-room Colonial Revival house serves as the Senior Opportunity Center and a House Museum.  The grounds are a public park.

The one-and-a-half story Cleveland-Kizer House has pebbledash stucco walls with contrasting brick corners, a large front gable with a wood shingle siding, and a full-width front porch.

The Morrow Stone Cottage was built using stone from the remains of the old Hume Hotel in the Dunn’s Rock community which was burned during the Civil War.  The house is based on a Gustav Stickley design published in the June 1909 issue of The Craftsman.

Hemlock Hill is an Adirondack-style home of dark, jagged-edged stones that appear to be randomly stacked without mortar.  The original owner wanted it to appear as if the home had grown there with no square corners.

The Galloway-Radford House is an excellent example of late-Victorian/Queen Anne with Colonial Revival detailing.  It has a large wrap-around porch and offers a view of the French Broad Valley to the east from the grounds.

Probart St. also has a large number of historically significant homes.  Most were built in the early 1900s.  Several of the larger homes between Caldwell St. and Railroad Avenue were constructed by one of Brevard’s leading contractors, Robert Kilpatrick.  Two homes on Probart St. are included in the Historic Homes Ramble.

The oldest home on the tour is the 1851 Red House Inn, today operated as a Bed and Breakfast.  Built as a trading post by L.S. Gash the “Act to Lay Off and Establish Transylvania County” refers to it as Poor’s Store.  Over the years it has served as the courthouse, a railroad station, a school, and a boarding house.  According to Martha Boswell Gash, “In 1912 the house was completely rebuilt and the (Gash) family returned to occupy one of its duplex apartments.  Of the old home nothing except the setting was now recognizable.”

The Craftsman-style Henry House was designed by noted architect, Richard Sharp Smith.  It is a one-and-one-half story pebbledash home with patterned wood shingles on the upper side gables.

The Historic House Ramble will take place, rain or shine.  There are no refunds.  Homes are not ADA compliant or handicapped accessible.  Pets, strollers, photography, bags, and smoking are not permitted at any of the sites.

The event is being sponsored by the Joint Historic Preservation Commission of Transylvania County, the Transylvania County Historical Society, and the Transylvania Heritage Museum with support from the City of Brevard.  For more information contact the Transylvania Heritage Museum at 884-2347, leave a message if there is no answer.