Downtown Brevard: A Tour of Rosenwald’s Black History

Rosenwald is the neighborhood that grew around downtown Brevard’s tannery district in western North Carolina. On this walking tour, I’ll bring the black community’s history back to life as you hear first-hand accounts and stories that many locals don’t even know about.

As you explore Rosenwald and nearby Brevard, you’ll experience our unique blend of a welcoming community, small-town charm, vibrant history and culture, and nature at its finest. You may even see our famous white squirrels darting around the parks and historical sites.

This almost circular tour begins in front of the Co-Ed Cinema on Main Street, one of two historical and segregated cinemas in the city. You’ll hear about the cinema’s beginnings in the 1930s and hear about its former neighbour, the Clemson Theatre. Like some of the other historic sites on our tour, the Clemson has been torn down, but its historical value lives on.

As you walk, you’ll listen to stories from locals about school days, the old Tannery, and growing up in Rosenwald.

On this 45-minute tour, you’ll have a chance to:

• Learn about key factors, figures, and historical sites from segregation days that shaped the landscape of our African American community
• Find out about Julius Rosenwald, the philanthropist and businessman whose name the city adopted, and the legacy he left behind
• Discover how Rosenwald used his wealth to support equal rights for African Americans during the Jim Crow era, leading to the development of the Rosenwald Fund which helped emerging artists, musicians, writers, scientists, scholars, and educators develop their talents
• Hear fascinating facts about Transylvania Tanning Company, the Tannery, and its 21+ acre property as you stroll past the Tannery Skate Park
• Understand the Tannery’s impact on the growing African American community and the surrounding environment
• Get to know treasured locals who are part of the community’s celebrated black history, including Jim Aiken and his wife who offered room and board during the segregation days, and their daughter, Loretta “Moms Mabley” Aiken, who was the first female comic to perform at the Apollo Theater in Harlem
• See Brevard Public Works, the building dedicated to former Councilman and Mayor Pro-Tem Cornelius Hunt, a leader from the black community
• See memorable black history sites including Bethel Baptist Church, the oldest African American church in the county, and its offshoot, Bethel A Baptist Church, where Reverend Florence H. Goldsmith was pastor

By the end of this tour, you’ll have a deeper understanding and appreciation for local black history and why it felt so important for us to put Rosenwald on the map.