Excerpts from The Transylvania Times:

Apparently, Brevard’s white squirrels originated from a carnival animal truck. According to Brevard resident Mrs. W.E. Mull, a pair of white squirrels was given to her brother-in-law, H.H. Mull, by Mr. Black of Madison, Florida, in 1949. A carnival truck had overturned near Black’s home and the squirrels were caught by Mr. Black when he observed them playing in his pecan grove.

Mull gave the critters to his niece, Barbara, who unsuccessfully tried to breed them. In 1951 she married and left home. Eventually, one of the white squirrels escaped and Mr. Mull soon let the other one go. Before long, the squirrels began breeding in the wild and appeared in several areas of town.

The white squirrels became so prized that the Brevard City Council voted to approve an ordinance declaring and establishing a sanctuary for squirrels, especially the white ones, in 1986. And that it “shall be unlawful for any person to hunt, kill, trap, or otherwise take any protected squirrels within the city by this section.”

Biologists recognize no known species of all-white squirrels in the world. The Brevard squirrels, with dark eyes and sometimes gray streaked fur, are not albinos==a condition in which an animal’s body has no melanin, a color pigment, resulting in white skin and fur, and pink or reddish eyes.

In addition to Brevard, white squirrels have been spotted in Olney, IL; Versailles, IL; Hodgenville, KY; Marionville, MO; Trenton, NJ; Bloomfield, NY; Greenwood, SC; and Kenton, TN. But only Brevard holds an annual festival in their honor!!

Special Programs The hatchery and the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education offers a number of events and programs throughout the year. Call (828) 877-4423 for more information or visit their website at: www.ncwildlife.org (follow links to Conservation Education & Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education).

Brevard, NC located in the heart of Transylvania Count is home to some of North Carolina's most breathtaking waterfalls.  Looking Glass Falls just off of Highway 276 shortly after you enter the Pisgah National Forest from Brevard, and Connestee Falls located about 8 miles south of Brevard on the same highway are just a couple of over 250 waterfalls local to the area.
Visit, and you'll understand why Rand McNally, The Wall Street Journal and National Geographic Traveler name this area one of America's top ten places to live and play.

Sliding Rock is a rock and small cascade on Looking Glass Creek, in the Pisgah National Forest, near Brevard, North Carolina. It has a gentle slope and is about 60 feet long, ending in a large, deep pool at the bottom. The rock has long been used as a natural water slide for adventurous tourists and locals. The water is very cold and is popular for cooling off in the summer.

Brevard, NC the land of the Waterfalls

Downtown Brevard...a Charming, Vibrant community with a Rich Mountain Heritage.

Downtown Brevard is the crossroads between Pisgah National Forest, Dupont State Forest, Gorge State Park,  for hiking, biking, fishing, kayaking, and climbing.

For 71 years the Brevard has been home to the world-renowned Brevard Music Center. Downtown Brevard is also home to The of Performing Arts (Brevard College) and the Transylvania Community Arts Council bringing diverse programs, concerts, and exhibits to our mountain community.

Downtown Brevard houses over 200 businesses and almost 1000 people working in Brevard’s downtown....

Home of the White Squirrel

White Squirrel Festival May 26-27, 2007!

http://www.brevardmusic.org

A community where creative, commited musicians begin to realize their aspirations.

Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina, the Brevard Music Center (BMC) has been providing young musicians with the opportunity to develop their talents for sixty-eight years.

Each summer more than 400 students, ages 14 through post-college, join professional musicians to eat, breathe and sleep music for seven weeks. In addition to a rigorous schedule of instruction, students collaborate with faculty and guest artists in more than eighty public performances.

The combination of studying with distinguished professional musicians and an intense performance schedule sets the Brevard Music Center apart from other summer music institutions and gives students the opportunity to understand the world of a professional musician.

A premier summer music festival and comprehensive music training program for more than six decades. Brevard Music Center provides intensive summer study for gifted high school, college, and pre-professional musicians, and offers a full range of operas and concerts with renowned guest artists. Visit their website for more details.

888-384-8682
Brevard Music Center

From Wednesday, June 20 2007 - 8:00am
To Sunday, August 5 2007 - 5:00pm
Every day