EMN11 - Courthouse

History

The Beginnings page on this site describes the early history of the City of Brevard, which led to the construction of the courthouse.

When the new Transylvania County established a Building Committee in 1861, one of its tasks was to build a courthouse. The committee members, William Deavor, O.L. Ervin, and F.W. Johnstone, wanted a two-story brick courthouse and jail. Originally, the courthouse was to be in the middle of the town square (today, the middle of the intersection of Main & Broad). However, the required tax money was reallocated due to the Civil War. Due to lack of funds, it was later decided to proceed with a frame courthouse and jail. At a cost of about $4500, it was completed in 1866 by builders George Clayton and Ephraim England. The courthouse building was towards the back of the lot where the present courthouse sits, and the jail was in the building known in 1949 as the “telephone exchange.” This could be the building on Probart Street that will be identified here as WPS13.

The frame courthouse completed by Clayton and England in 1866 was often called the “temporary courthouse.” It’s four window shutters were built by Joshua Orr at a cost of $17.75, and the hardware was provided by B.C. Lankford for $75.35. Before its occupancy, several court sessions were held in the Bethel Baptist Church building (roughly on East Main Street across from the present-day Silvermont Mansion). Some accounts state that it was towards the back of the courthouse lot, others say that it was just west of the present-day courthouse where the fire department used to be.

Before the courthouse was completed, the first sessions of the Superior Court were held in an uncompleted store building at the corner of Main and Gaston Streets. It belonged to B.C. Lankford.

Eight years later, in May 1874, County commissioners allocated twelve thousand dollars to construct a brick courthouse and jail. The money was to be paid in six years. The commissioners levied a $0.46 tax per $100 in property value that raised $2000 in the first year. T.W. Davis designed and constructed the building after visiting the Pickens, SC courthouse in June 1879 (it is not known what happened in the three years between the decision to build and the start of work). The following month, commissioners approved the plans and the courthouse was completed on February 7, 1881. 

In meeting minutes, it was said that the first post office was in the Treasurer’s Office of the new Courthouse. It was agreed with the postmaster that he would sweep the aisles and courtrooms (after “public occasions”) and that there were to be no pencil markings on the walls. No rent was charged, and the Commission could revoke the agreement at any time. Final payment was made on the courthouse and jail building on January 1, 1884.

In the photo above, note the fountain at the corner of the property (corner of East Main and North Broad today).  Also, there is a building to the extreme left where North Broad Street is today. This may have been Brevard's first fire station.  The image below of a section of the 1911 Sanborn Map shows the fire department at that location. By February, 1926, the fire truck had been removed and Broad Street was being extended from Main street to the foot of the hill at the "King's Creek bridge".

In 1906, Commissioners began an effort to fireproof some sections of the building to protect records. It’s been written that they also had a vault (or two) installed under a stairway discovered during a future renovation.

In 1921, there was a lot of work on a new addition to the back of the courthouse. New office space was added, and the Register of Deeds, Tax Collector, and others settled into their new facilities. Outside, the front sidewalk was lowered, and a cobblestone wall with a concrete top was completed in April.

The Clocks

When the courthouse was built, a clock was planned for the top of the tower. However, the reason the clock(s) were not installed has never been explained. Instead, blue metal stars were placed on the sides of the tower where clocks would have been. It is unknown whether or not the stars were put in during construction, but they seem to have been there since 1920.

By 1911, residents mounted an effort to get the clocks for the building. To raise money for the project, county commissioners agreed to let the courthouse be used during the summer to show movies. The net proceeds of the shows were to be set aside as a clock fund. Tickets for a season were priced at $7.50, and films were shown in the courtroom from June 5th until at least September 15th. 

The Transylvania County Courthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.