Hospital History

In 1933, two local physicians, Charles Newland and C.D. Cunningham, believed that Transylvania County should have its own hospital. Thanks to their initiative and foresight, Lyday Memorial Hospital was established in the Norwood House in downtown Brevard. Later that same year, the hospital was incorporated as a not-for-profit institution.

In 1935, the hospital recognized the need to expand to serve the community's healthcare needs. It moved to a larger residential home and, in 1939, it was renamed Transylvania Community Hospital.

Our hospital moved again in 1942 to a newly built facility. This was the first building project undertaken by Transylvania Community Hospital. The project cost $110,000, with funding coming from Ecusta Pape, the Duke Endowment and community contributions. Even employees donated one hour's pay every week for 13 weeks. The hospital expanded again in 1952 with the addition of the Harry H. Straus wing and served Brevard for the next 20 years.

Our current building on Hospital Drive was completed in 1973. This was another major milestone in community care, with a modern facility providing expanded, comprehensive services. The hospital board wisely chose a large 36-acre tract between Brevard and Pisgah Forest, which was still relatively undeveloped then. By having room to build, medical offices and other related services could later be built close to the hospital.

In 1989, the hospital began its first major expansion and renovation and was strategically planned in response to the community's growing and evolving healthcare needs. This three-year project focused on ambulatory, medical support, diagnostic and obstetrics services. By this time, the Transylvania Community Hospital Foundation had been established. Thanks to the generous support from the community, the foundation was able to raise more than $1.3 million for this $3.4 million project.

In 2000, a three-year expansion project was launched based on strategic research, sound planning and community need. The new outpatient, surgery and radiology departments allowed our hospital to provide the benefits of remarkable medical advancements, such as same-day surgery and diagnostic technology.

In 2008, in celebration of the hospital's 75th anniversary and the opening of its new $18 million state-of-the-art inpatient wing, the hospital was renamed Transylvania Regional Hospital. In 2012, Transylvania Regional Hospital became a full member of the Mission Health family of hospitals. In 2018, we opened a new, state-of-the-art emergency department featuring 12 spacious exam rooms, including four behavioral health safe rooms.