1850 to 1900
The Village of Brevard Station (1870-1880)
After the war a long period of reconstruction was begun in the South. It was during this time
that the Community of Brevard's Station began to take shape, though it would be several years
before it would be known as a town.
Continuation of Railroad Construction
The Wilmington to Charlotte phase of railroad construction had been abandoned during the war.
After the war the railroad went into Receivership. However in 1873 the Wilmington, Charlotte
and Rutherford Railroad was reorganized as the Carolina Central Railroad and the next year the road
was completed to Charlotte. So from that point in time (1874) it was possible for Stanley Creek
people to board the train at Brevard's Station and travel all the way to the coastal town and
marketplace of Wilmington.
Lawlessness During Reconstruction
Lawlessness and violence were rampant during the Reconstruction Period of the 1870's. Reverend Jesse
R. Peterson, who preached at Christ's Lutheran Church, alternating with other churches in the county,
was an outspoken Democrat. Because of this his home (just outside Brevard's Station) and belonging
were burned.
On 11 March 1842 Jesse R. Peterson, who was born around 1822 and was the son of Henry Peterson and
Susannah Slagle from Lincoln County, married Mary A. Dettor who was born around 1820 and was from
Indiana. Jesse became a Lutheran minister and served several of the churches in the Catawba River
valley. Christ's Lutheran Church in Brevard Station was one of his charges. His name can be found
on many marriage certificates of people who were wed in the middle to late 1800's. Mary and Jesse lived
between the village of Brevard's Station and the South Fork River.
Incorporation of Brevard Station
In 1879 Brevard Station was incorporated and for the first time was entered on the Federal Census as
a separate village in the 1880 listings. In 1879 the townspeople elected their first mayor and town
commissioners.