Brasstown is an unincorporated community located mostly within Clay County, North Carolina, United States, though roughly one third of Brasstown is within the adjacent Cherokee County.
Etymology and history
The name, "Brasstown," was given to several historic towns in the Cherokee region, including this one. The name resulted from confusion in translating the Cherokee name, "Itse'yĭ" (meaning 'New Green Place' or 'Place of Fresh Green') with "Ûňtsaiyĭ" (meaning "brass").
As late as 1934 Brasstown had its own time zone. At that time Cherokee County operated on Central time and Clay County ran on Eastern time. Due to frequent gatherings at the John C. Campbell Folk School, Brasstown clocks were set half-way in-between to avoid confusion. When it was 1 p.m. in Murphy and 2 p.m. in Hayesville, it was 1:30 p.m. in Brasstown.
Annual opossum drop
The Possum Drop was an annual event at Clay's Corner convenience store organized by Clay and Judy Logan. At midnight on New Year's Eve, instead of dropping an object, a plexiglass box containing a living opossum was lowered from the roof of the store. At midnight the animal was lowered to the ground while a small crowd of local residents sometimes shot fireworks. The opossum was released afterward.
The Possum Drop started in 1990 with twenty people, a covered dish supper, jam music, and a ceramic possum lowered in a fish bowl. The next year Logan used a real opossum that had been trapped for the occasion. Hours before the Dec. 31, 2003, Possum Drop People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals called Logan and threatened to sue if a live opossum was used, so Logan used roadkill instead. The New York Times reported on the event in 2004. In September 2013, PETA filed a petition to stop the event from taking place, calling it "cruel."
The event moved to nearby Andrews, North Carolina, for 2018-2019 upon Clay and Judy Logan's retirement. However, one of the opossums there was injured and used with a broken leg that was later amputated. After lawsuits by PETA and appeals to state officials by concerned citizens, the town opted not to continue the Possum Drop and it has not been held since.
Clay’s Corner got its start as a produce stand in the 1940s owned by the Caldwell family. Clay Logan purchased the Citgo station in 1998. In 2019, Clay's Corner reopened under the management of the Logan Family.
Education
The John C. Campbell Folk School, dedicated to preserving and encouraging the folk arts of the Appalachian Mountains, is located in Brasstown. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The land for the Folk School was donated by Fred O. Scroggs, who wanted to preserve the folk teachings of mountain culture.
Tri-County Race Track
The Tri-County Race Track is a 1/4-mile banked dirt oval race track located in Brasstown, it often hosts races Friday evenings. Jack Wimpey built the track on property he owned in 1968 and its first event was held the following year. VIP suites were constructed in 2018. Wimpey died in February 2023 and the track was listed for sale seven months later in September.
