Charlotte's history

[Spartan]

We were actually the location of the naval yard because of our strategic location pretty much in the center of the Confederacy with rail lines running through the city that could access the coast since all of the ports were at risk of being attacked by the Union, if they weren't already in their control or blockaded.

Sorting Out the New South City is available at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, or at the public library and there are actually two editions. One is Sorting Out the New South City: race, class, and urban development in Charlotte, 1875-1975 while the other is Sorting Out the New South City: Charlotte and its neighborhoods.

[Mobuchu]

^^^Park Rd. Books at Park rd. shopping center.

[Raintree21]

In 1965, James Brown recorded his first single, "Papa's got a brand new bag" in Charlotte at Arthur Smith Studios on South Blvd.

[Charlotte_native]

In 1965, James Brown recorded his first single, "Papa's got a brand new bag" in Charlotte at Arthur Smith Studios on South Blvd.

[swampfox43]

I've got a photo I took of Robert Plant (lead singer of Led Zeppelin) at Reflections Studio from 1985. I was a coke delivery man that year and we always had a camera with us to take photos of our displays. One of my stops was Reflections and I just happen to be going there the day he was there. I took a really good picture of him through the glass. I remember the Charlotte Observer even made mention that he was seen at the Fast Fare convenient store just up the street buying some drinks.

[Miesian Corners]

Thompson's Bootery and Bloomery stood at the intersection of Independence and Pecan. It featured live models in lingerie sitting in its display windows. It caused accidents on Independence.

As a side note, I find it amusing that Charlotte was a far more interesting and open-minded place in the 1970s than it is today. Strip joints, hookers, PTL with Jim and Tammy, the all-adult Lake Apartments on Albemarle Rd and its group sex parties, REM playing and recording, Murphy in the Morning on WAYS (Pass the Loot, Another World in Waxhaw, Battlestar Gastonia, Parker Myers and his wife Peaches, hippies in Dilworth, etc). We're all buttoned-down and boring now.

[Charlotte_native]

I've got a photo I took of Robert Plant (lead singer of Led Zeppelin) at Reflections Studio from 1985. I was a coke delivery man that year and we always had a camera with us to take photos of our displays. One of my stops was Reflections and I just happen to be going there the day he was there. I took a really good picture of him through the glass. I remember the Charlotte Observer even made mention that he was seen at the Fast Fare convenient store just up the street buying some drinks.

[Raintree21]

Could it be that it's named Tryon St in honor of the historic route to "Tryon Palace," which was the residence of the first NC Governor in New Bern? (...since Lawson was apparently the first settler to travel the route and also founded New Bern in 1710.)

[Justadude]

Better be careful saying you were the *coke* delivery man somewhere that Robert Plant was!

Jimmy Hendrix opened up for The Monkees at Grady Cole Center. That must have been quite a show for the bee-boppers coming to hear some UK pop!

[ChiefJoJo]

This... thread... can't... die...

I heard a rumor that there are underground mining tunnels over on the west side of downtown near BofA stadium... maybe I even read that here.

[Charlotte_native]

This... thread... can't... die...

I heard a rumor that there are underground mining tunnels over on the west side of downtown near BofA stadium... maybe I even read that here.

[ChiefJoJo]

Have you natives or longtimers heard any stories passed on to you about the legitimacy of the Meck Dec of 1775? I stumbled across the wikipedia page, and apparently some historians have challenege the legitimacy of the existence of the actual May 20, 1775 resolution. Browsing through the wiki page, it seems that there's not any direct evidence (no actual document or copies exist), but the best circumstantial evidence is the following IMO:

Prior to the revolution, deeds were generally dated as

[monsoon]

I have always heard the story was true, and I have also heard people, mostly from out of state, claim it wasn't. In any case, there is a monument downtown marking the location of the signing and reading of the Declaration. This is also the reason that places in Charlotte are often named in regards to the Declaration, i.e. Independence Blvd, Freedom Drive, Freedom Park, and why the NCDOT had "First in Freedom" on the license plates prior to 1980.

[Miesian Corners]

MecDec Day used to be a holiday in Charlotte. City and county offices were closed. The reenactments of the signing still take place every year uptown. I went in 2005. It was pretty cool.

[CharlotteDave]

There is a lot of good circumstancial evidence to support the idea that the Mecklenburg Declaration did happen, including several eyewitness accounts from people who either participated or were there in uptown Charlotte during the celebration that day in 1775. This includes Captain James Jack, who delivered the document on horseback to Philadelphia. It's just that their testimony came decades after the fact raising questions about faulty memories. I recently read an old book entitled "The Hornets Nest" that argues in favor of it and you can find a lot of good information about it, pro and con, by using the google books feature. There are some pretty compelling arguments on both sides, but from what I've read, I think the evidence in favor is a little stronger. Whatever the real truth, which may never be known for sure, it's almost as interesting either way and represents a colonial history that Charlotteans can be very proud of. Below are some links to articles that I think are pretty good summaries of the arguments in favor.

Article1

article from the May 20th Society

Article about James Jack

[Raintree21]

As said before, there's no physical evidence of it anywhere that can be found, just testimonials for the most part. The most compelling evidence is references to it in other documents of the era.

[staffer]

MecDec Day used to be a holiday in Charlotte. City and county offices were closed. The reenactments of the signing still take place every year uptown. I went in 2005. It was pretty cool.

[Justadude]

The Carolina Room in the library's Main Branch can point you toward excellent photos of the extravagant Meck Deck celebrations of years past, including a visit from President Taft in 1909 (bear in mind that Charlotte had a 1909 population of only 18k, smaller than Wilmington at the time, or about the size of present-day Mooresville). I would suggest a visit to the MeckDeck section of the Carolina Room's excellent website, http://www.cmstory.org, for vast resources on the subject.

[CharlotteDave]

I recently discovered the Robinson Spangler Carolina Room Image collection on the main library's website. I had been aware of some smaller collections on the site, such as the one featuring past Meck Deck celebrations, but I didn't know they had one this extensive. I understand they've added hundreds of new ones recently. Some of the images are the same ones often seen in the various picture books, but there are plenty of others too. I thought it was worth mentioning for those who aren't already aware of the site. Below are some examples.

100 years ago

1905 Tryon St.

Stafford Hotel 1904

early race car

Tryon St.

College St. 1904

Independence Squrare 1880

1920's Trade St.

Academy of Music 1890

[NcSc74]

I recently discovered the Robinson Spangler Carolina Room Image collection on the main library's website. I had been aware of some smaller collections on the site, such as the one featuring past Meck Deck celebrations, but I didn't know they had one this extensive. I understand they've added hundreds of new ones recently. Some of the images are the same ones often seen in the various picture books, but there are plenty of others too. I thought it was worth mentioning for those who aren't already aware of the site. Below are some examples.

100 years ago

1905 Tryon St.

Stafford Hotel 1904

early race car

Tryon St.

College St. 1904

Independence Squrare 1880

1920's Trade St.

Academy of Music 1890

[CharlotteDave]

Great find. Wish Charlotte would have held on to some of those buildings. Oh well hindsight is 20/20.

[1979Heel]

Actually, there are markers for many of those things; they're brass plaques buried in the sidewalks along Trade & Tryon. Obviously, they're not terribly attention-grabbing but at least they are there.

[Justadude]

I have to say, it would be a spectacularly worthy investment to place a marker on each modern building with an image of the older building that went before it. This is the kind of thing that gets people to meander around town with no interest other than gobbling up history. It might not be the same as walking around an actual historic district, but at least it would be a distant substitute and provide some context for those of us who care about such things.

[CharlotteDave]

The one other online source I've found that has real old photos of Charlotte is at the UNC library website. These were taken by the 19th century photographer Rufus Morgan and are apparently among the oldest known photos of Charlotte. Apparently all of these were taken around 1873. They're not great photographs, but I think anything from that long ago is pretty interesting.

In the photo below of North Tryon St., the structure on the far left is the old Charlotte Hotel and the house on the far right is supposedly the Thomas Polk house where General Cornwallis stayed during his occupation of Charlotte, but by then it had been moved from its original location. They say it's the present day site of the Bank of America and Blumenthal Performing Arts Center.

photo1

photo2

photo3

photo4

photo5

Ice trees on Trade St.

[CharlotteDave]

For those who don't know, the annual Meck Dec celebration, such as it is, is coming up this Tuesday. I guess all that it consists of is a reenactment at the uptown square, but I think I might check it out for the first time this year. I wish they could make it a big event like it once was, but I'm not sure what it would take to make that happen. Maybe next year they can unveil the Captain Jack sculpture and use that to bring more attention to it. That would be consistent with the timeline they've talked about for having it ready.

Despite the controversy surrounding the Meck Dec, it is definitely a great story. Even if the skeptics are right and there wasn't an actual Declaration of Independence, that would still leave the Mecklenburg Resolves, a document well regarded by historians. Since no one questions the validity of the Resolves, that means we can have full confidence that at a minimum, the citizens met to oppose British rule and ended up taking some sort of very bold action. It is also beyond dispute that Captain Jack carried one or both documents by horseback to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia where they were deemed a bit too radical or premature for that moment in time. Regardless of which combination of documents they adopted on that May night 233 years ago, it is a terrific story either way.