A brush seal system includes a component including a first mating surface (136). The brush seal system further includes a brush seal (110) including a brush seal backing plate (112), a retaining ring (114), and a plurality of bristles (116) retained between the brush seal backing plate (112) and the retaining ring (114). The brush seal backing plate (112) includes a second mating surface (138) mounted to the first mating surface (136). The brush seal system further includes at least one cooling channel (128) extending from an exterior side (130) of the component to an interior side (132) of the component so as to bypass the brush seal (110).