Museums Allison DEAVER HOUSE
The historic Allison-Deaver House, located at 2753 Asheville Highway in Pisgah Forest, takes visitors back to the 19th century. The trails and gardens are open to the public. For house hours and events, go to tchistoricalsociety. com.
In 1815, when most mountain dwellings were log cabins, Benjamin Allison of Maryland built a two-story three-over-three-room frame house based on the design of row houses in England and the East Coast of America. Allison, who had 11 children and perhaps needed more space for his family, sold the little house to William and Mary Patton Deaver in 1830. By 1840 the house was more than doubled in size and by 1860 the Charlestoninspired double porches had been added.
In 1987 the by-then derelict house was scheduled for demolition in favor of the land being used for a shopping center. Alarmed that this local historic touchstone would be lost, the Transylvania County Historical Society was quickly formed to raise the funds to purchase, stabilize and restore it.
Today the Allison-Deaver House is the oldest standing frame house in western North Carolina. It is designated a Local Landmark, as well as on the National Register of Historic Places and the North Carolina Civil War Trail.
Many of the original architectural features are intact and the furnishings, many from the Deaver family, reflect the different eras of ownership.
The Historical Society is a private, nonprofit organization with 501( c) 3 tax status and not a part of any government agency. Consider joining the Society and becoming a part of this iconic legacy.
THE MCGAHA CHAPEL
– Transylvania- County’ s oldest surviving church
The Transylvania County Historical Society also oversees the McGaha Chapel in Cedar Mountain. It is Transylvania County’ s oldest surviving church building.
Completed in 1872 during the difficult Reconstruction period following the Civil War, it was built by a group of rural neighbors who sought to help bring together and heal the tensions of divided loyalties surrounding the war that had torn apart families and friends. Sitting on a knoll just off Halley Cove Road, the Chapel, small but elegant in its simplicity, served the community for more than 50 years. Now carefully preserved, it is used for weddings, community sings, special tours and occasional worship services.
To see the chapel, travel seven miles from Brevard along U. S. 276 South to Halley Cove Road in Cedar Mountain.
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