… the next time you pass by St. Philip’s Episcopal Church at 317 East Main Street, take notice of the white cross (called Van’s Cross) above the front entrance…. here’s what I’ve learned about this cross (from a history fact sheet available at St. Philip’s):
Van Breese, age 18, son of Major William Edmond Breese and Mary Motte Hume Breese, was tragically killed while running to mail a letter at the mail depot. He slipped on some cinders and his legs were crushed under the train. Though they put him on the train, which left immediately for Asheville, he died before reaching the hospital.
After St. Philip’s burned down in 1925, the white marble cross on Van Breese’s monument was removed and, with the family’s permission, was placed above the doors of the present church.
His tombstone reads:
Stuart Van Vechten Breese
Dec. 26, 1888
July 19, 1907
He died a gentleman unafraid with his face to God.
