History of Charlotte

[Guest]

found this pretty cool. 

Edited May 18, 2014 by Guest

[Niner National]

I watched a very cool documentary this past weekend on PBS about the history of gold in the Charlotte area and its role in us becoming not only an organized city, but a financial power.

 

They talked extensively with some professors, most notably Dan Morrill, who was a long time professor at UNC Charlotte (just retired last week) and also the head of the historic landmarks commission.

 

He mentioned that in the 70's, he was a part of a group that wanted to bring more tourism dollars to the area, so they discussed opening up the mine shafts and having tours and other exhibits to take advantage of our gold mining history.

 

He said a large part of the reason why they did not was the same reason that mining was difficult here: expense. When they were mining for gold, pumps had to run 24/7 to keep water out of the mine shafts. The same would have to be done for a tourist exhibit and that was simply too expensive, so the mines were never opened to the public.

 

That's a shame because it would have been very cool, but it is understandable.

 

I know this topic has been discussed here several times, but this was the first time I ever heard of a commission that actually explored the idea and determined it wasn't feasible.

 

The documentary went on to discuss why Charlotte's gold rush is generally unknown and it mostly amounts to how long ago it was. There were other major things that were going on in the same year that gold was discovered here (Louisiana Purchase for one) and in the years following (War of 1812, Civil War and all the things leading up to that, etc). While it was a big deal, it wasn't important enough to get national attention over those other events.

[Windsurfer]

Thanks for the headsup on that documentary. I might have to look it up. Nor had I ever heard of such an effort.  Seems like they could at least open up an entrance.  Doesn't anyone have any sway with Charlotte Pipe and Foundry?  They just bought the location to the St. Catherine mine.

[birky]

I'm curious how these old mines would impact the ability to develop at these sites, especially St. Catherine (if it would impact it at all).

[Windsurfer]

I'm curious how these old mines would impact the ability to develop at these sites, especially St. Catherine (if it would impact it at all).

One of my buddies who sells business insurance and does bonding told me that he requires extra policies for anyone building in The South End. There've been meetings among his circle of associates (other insurance brokers) on this very topic. They have some incredible maps of the shafts, etc. And, all keep the Little Hardware collapse and fire (unrelated events) out front in their debates.

[birky]

^Yes, I was just reading about the Little Hardware incident. And that empty lot on W Summitt @ S Mint was the location of the entrance to the Rudisill mine. Fascinating stuff.

 

http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/index.php/topic/42698-gold-mines-and-the-history-of-charlotte/

[videtur quam contuor]

Lots of miners drowned. Fetid air, keel over. Buh-bye now.

[RugbyPike#11]

We should build an underground mine shaft aquarium.... maybe there can be a Nascar hall of fame annex worked in somehow.

[Niner National]

Is this where the entrance to the mine is located?

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@35.220631,-80.861775,3a,37.5y,229.81h,82.87t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s8VzPV2GYxCPz5GTRyt6mgQ!2e0

[Windsurfer]

Is this where the entrance to the mine is located?

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@35.220631,-80.861775,3a,37.5y,229.81h,82.87t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s8VzPV2GYxCPz5GTRyt6mgQ!2e0

Sounds like, by the end of the rush there were many entrances. :-).  According to my dad, who used to ride his bike over to the mine as a lad, it was located more up the hill (east of your link) Perhaps behind or beside Hovis Radiator.

[birky]

This is a little off-topic but still pretty interesting:
 

On a January night in 1961, a U.S. Air Force bomber broke in half while flying over North Carolina. From the belly of the B-52 fell two bombs -- two nuclear bombs that hit the ground near the city of Goldsboro.

A disaster worse than the devastation wrought in Hiroshima and Nagasaki could have befallen the United States that night. But it didn't, thanks to a series of fortunate missteps.

 

The B-52 was flying over North Carolina on January 24, 1961, when it suffered a "failure of the right wing," the report said.

As the plane broke apart, the two bombs plummeted toward the ground. The parachute opened on one; it didn't on the other.

"The impact of the aircraft breakup initiated the fuzing sequence for both bombs," the summary of the documents said.

In other words, both weapons came alarmingly close to detonating.

Weapon 1, the bomb whose parachute opened, landed intact. Fortunately, the safing pins that provided power from a generator to the weapon had been yanked -- preventing it from going off.

Weapon 2, the second bomb with the unopened parachute, landed in a free fall. The impact of the crash put it in the "armed" setting. Fortunately -- once again -- it damaged another part of the bomb needed to initiate an explosion.

 

 

Full article here: http://edition.cnn.com/2014/06/12/us/north-carolina-nuclear-bomb-drop

[tozmervo]

This is a little off-topic but still pretty interesting terrifying:

 

 

Full article here: http://edition.cnn.com/2014/06/12/us/north-carolina-nuclear-bomb-drop

 

FTFY

[Finkle]

My father was one of the EOD bomb disposal officers that worked on this, They worked 3 days days and night digging this out the sandy farmers field. He said it was amazing the bomb did not explode.

[Niner National]

I would not want to be one of the people that had to dig that thing up.

[nonillogical]

I remember reading about this. Very interesting. I take a lot of issue though with the statement that "A disaster worse than the devastation wrought in Hiroshima and Nagasaki could have befallen the United States..." I know they were larger bombs, with those dropped on Japan relatively small compared to those developed afterwards, but the death toll from a bomb dropped near Goldsboro with its 1961 population wouldn't have been anywhere near that of Hiroshima or Nagasaki, fairly dense major cities even in the 40's. It seems like pretty insensitive phrasing. 

[Madison Parkitect]

My sister is getting married in September to a guy who is from California and really enjoys history, so I want to get him a book about Charlotte. Looking for something informative and interesting, with good pictures but also some decent historical knowledge. Something kind of between a coffee table book and a textbook. Any ideas?

[kermit]

My sister is getting married in September to a guy who is from California and really enjoys history, so I want to get him a book about Charlotte. Looking for something informative and interesting, with good pictures but also some decent historical knowledge. Something kind of between a coffee table book and a textbook. Any ideas?

 

It probably leans too far into the textbook side of the spectrum but Sorting Out the New South City: Race, Class and Urban Development in Charlotte 1875-1975 by Tom Hanchett is pretty great. Its mostly text but it has about 30-40 photos. If he is willing to read a real book then there will be few better choices.

 

There are also tons of photo books available, but most of them confine their information to captions. I have found very little in the middle of Hanchett and the photo books. Please let me know if you come across something.

[Windsurfer]

Mary Kratt came out with a pretty good one a few years ago: http://www.amazon.com/Charlotte-North-Carolina-Brief-History/dp/1596296011

[smayer]

My sister is getting married in September to a guy who is from California and really enjoys history, so I want to get him a book about Charlotte. Looking for something informative and interesting, with good pictures but also some decent historical knowledge. Something kind of between a coffee table book and a textbook. Any ideas?

 

Dan Morrill has his book Historic Charlotte available free online - http://landmarkscommission.org/Morrill%20Book/Index.htm

There's also Hornet's Nest by LeGette Blythe and Charles Brockman - http://www.cmstory.org/history/hornets/content.htm

 

Hanchett's book is the most complete scholarly book on Charlotte, though the in depth material really runs to about World War II.

Edited July 22, 2014 by smayer

[rugger62]

http://www.nuclearsecrecy.com/nukemap/

 

You can simulate it here, although it isn't working for me on IE8 at work. The Mark 39 had a roughly 4 MT yield, it's a preset when choosing yield. Goldsboro is so far from civilization that the economic impact wouldn't be catastrophic for NC.

[caterpillar2]

My sister is getting married in September to a guy who is from California and really enjoys history, so I want to get him a book about Charlotte. Looking for something informative and interesting, with good pictures but also some decent historical knowledge. Something kind of between a coffee table book and a textbook. Any ideas?

Bookstores have great books on Charlotte with pictures depicting its history and growth. I sort of like the Charlotte magazine I get every month. It gives an idea of restaurants, events, etc. Additionally,  Barns and Nobles has good paperbacks by Arcade Publishing Company called Images of America.  They have history/pictorial  books on Charlotte and surrounding cities. I have a few around the house, i.e. Charlotte, Yadkin County, Lincoln County, North Carolina Confederates an other interesting publcations. They're around $21 each.

[NcSc74]

http://www.nuclearsecrecy.com/nukemap/

 

You can simulate it here, although it isn't working for me on IE8 at work. The Mark 39 had a roughly 4 MT yield, it's a preset when choosing yield. Goldsboro is so far from civilization that the economic impact wouldn't be catastrophic for NC.

Economic impact, how about humanitarian impact, there are hard working people that live back east. It's not a barren wasteland east of 95.

[Matthew.Brendan]

Mr. President, I'm not saying we wouldn't get our hair mussed. But I do say no more than ten to twenty million killed, tops. Uh, depending on the breaks.

[Third Strike]

Retro Charlotte posted images of Tryon Street throughout the years:

 

http://retroclt.blogspot.com/2014/11/uptown-tryon-street-over-years.html

 

Sad that many of these buildings along North Tryon were demolished. It looked so dense back then:

 

[cltbwimob]

Retro Charlotte posted images of Tryon Street throughout the years:

 

http://retroclt.blogspot.com/2014/11/uptown-tryon-street-over-years.html

 

Sad that many of these buildings along North Tryon were demolished. It looked so dense back then:

 

This picture makes me sad.  I currently live in Richmond due to my job, and I am amazed at the beauty of the local architecture.  Unlike Charlotte, much of the turn-of-the-20th-century architecture is still in place, and the buildings look just as good today as they ever have .  Bearing witness to their beauty has become a daily treat of which I never grow tired.

 

I hope at some point Classical Revival architecture is in vogue again...I guess that would be "Neoclassical Revival".

Edited November 2, 2014 by cltbwimob