USA > North Carolina > Mecklenburg County > Charlotte > Charlotte in picture and prose : an historical and descriptive sketch of Charlotte, North Carolina > Part 1
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ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
3 1833 02293 9935
REYNOLDS HISTORICAL GENEALOGY COLLECTION
Gc 975. 602 C38A
2269983
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2016
https://archive.org/details/charlotteinpictu00alex_0
Charlotte in Picture and Prose.
From
Close friend mp, Clara ("") nuttin
Jan- 1911
/
Copyright, 1906, by Julia M. Alexander
Benjamin Il'est Court Historical Painter
QUEEN CHARLOTTE
Wife of George III, King of England. In honor of Queen Charlotte and her former home, Mecklenburg-Strelitz in Germany, the City of Charlotte and County of Mecklenburg, North Carolina, were named.
CHARLOTTE
IN PICTURE AND PROSE
AN HISTORICAL and DESCRIPTIVE SKETCH of
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA
By JULIA M. ALEXANDER
With Illustrations of Places of Interest and Scenes in and About Charlotte
Allen County Public Library Ft. Wayne, Indiana
"Those who do not treasure up the memory of their ancestors, do not deserve to be remembered by posterity." -Sir Edmund Burke
"Scenes must be beautiful which daily viewed Please daily, and whose novelty survives Long knowledge and the scrutiny of years." -Cowper
Copyright, 1906, by Julia M. Alexander, Charlotte, N. C.
CHARLOTTE IN PICTURE AND PROSE
T HE Pied- mont Re- gion of North Carolina bears an interesting relation to the Old World; through the veins of its people flow the same strains of blood that course in the veins of Euro- pean nations, and the very names re- echoing throughout its borders link it with more than one country of Europe.
Italy has given the name Piedmont to our mountainous re- gion because of its likeness to her own sunny slopes. The principality of Pied- mont in Northern Italy, lying along the foot of the Alps, is a country of unusual beauty, and was included among the possessions of Amadeus V, surnamed the Great, Count of Savoy. By him it was granted to his brother, Thomas II, whose son Thomas III became founder of the line bearing the titles, Lords of Piedmont. The foot-hills of the lower Appalachian system so closely resemble this portion of Italy in contour and climate that it has been given the name of the Piedmont Region.
The climate has also been frequently likened to that of Southern France ; and this comparison is doubly appropriate since the Caro- linas were so-called, in 1563, by French settlers of the eastern borders, in honor of their king, Charles (Carolus) IX.
Germany and England divide honors in having bestowed upon county and town the names Mecklenburg and Charlotte. In the year 1761, the German Princess, Charlotte of Mecklenburg- Strelitz, became the wife of George III, King of England; this marriage, which caused much rejoicing throughout the British do- main, took place about the time a new county was being formed in the state of North Carolina, and as compliment to the young queen the county received the name of Mecklenburg for her
Sugar Creek Cemetery Sugar Creek Church
home in Germany, and the county-seat was called Charlotte, be- ing also frequently known as the "Queen City." This expression of loyalty to the mother-country, from subjects so far distant, was doubtless pleasing to the king who little dreamed that within a few years their allegiance would be boldly withdrawn.
This change in sentiment was due to the fact that Scotland's sons had found in this same Piedmont region a country whose rugged beauty bore a strong resemblance to their former home; and here amid its hills and forests they sought that freedom of . thought and action which in Scotland had been denied them. To this section of America, about the middle of the eighteenth cen- tury, came many settlers, who were Scotch by birth, and from a temporary residence in Ireland, designated Scotch-Irish. From New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, following the mountains and valleys of the Appalachian Range, they moved south- ward, and settled in Virginia, North Carolina, and South Caro- lina.
The county of Mecklenburg which originally embraced Cabar- rus, Lincoln, Gas- ton, and a part of Union, in addition to all of the pres- ent county, occu- pies a position in the southwestern part of North Car- olina ; it now con- tains 680 square miles, and is divid- ed into fifteen townships. The city and county combine a popula- tion of 70,000.
Alexander Rock House. Built by Hezekiah Alexander (Five miles from Charlotte)
Cultivation of cotton is the lead- ing agricultural pursuit. though corn, wheat, and other small grains are raised successfully. Fruits of almost every kind flourish, adding materially to the income of the farmer; while truck-farming, dairying and poultry-raising are among the most profitable industries. In Mecklenburg County conditions of climate and soil are such that anything may be grown that is raised between Southern Alabama and Canada. The northern line of cotton-raising in the United States passes about fifty miles north of Charlotte.
East Avenue
The South contains 400 millions of acres in the cotton belt proper, of which 300 millions are especially suitable for cotton- raising. The climate of this section of country is greatly modified by the Gulf Stream, which has much to do with the success of cotton- growing. The rains coming from the Gulf of Mexico in the spring and summer aid in the raising of the crop ; while in the fall the winds change to the west and north, giving usually a dry season for the harvest. A rainy season, drought, or single severe frost, would tend to greatly decrease the production. At present 32 million acres are in cultivation of cotton in the United States, and produce three- fourths of the crop of the world.
With an elevation of 760 feet above sea-level, free from marked extremes of heat or cold, and sheltered by the guardian peaks of the Alleghany Mountains from severe storms, that visit the interior, Charlotte, judged from a climatic standpoint, occupies a most favor- able position. Throughout the year, the temperature as shown by the United States Weather Bureau, is generally mild and equable, with an an- nual mean temperature of 60 degrees, and prevailing southwesterly winds. Pe- riods of severe cold in win- ter are of short duration ; spring generally opens early, and killing frosts are rarely known before November. The spring and autumn es- pecially are seasons of rare beauty in Charlotte ; flowers, shrubs, and trees in number- less variety and abundance add to the attractiveness of The Osborne Oak (More than 100 years old) scenery and give unceasing pleasure to the lover of nature. With manifold advantages of climate and location, Charlotte enjoys an atmosphere at once bracing, temperate, and healthful.
The topography of the surrounding country shows a broken and picturesque land whose forest-crowned hills, fertile lowlands, and winding streams present scenes of ever-changing interest. To this genial clime with its fertile soil came the early settlers of the 18th century to find a land of plenty but not, however, one of peace. The story of the pioneers in Mecklenburg County is similar to that of the first settlers in other sections of this New World, whose inviting hand beckoned so alluringly across the waters and drew to its shores from the Old World stalwart sons and courageous daughters-men and women who were to become the founders of a mighty nation. In dense virgin forests lurked the Indian, resentful of the white man's intrusion
and ever ready to surprise and destroy the colonist in his newly-made home. Dark deeds of bloodshed and death were wreaked in cruel vengeance upon the whites in these primitive days of settlement ; and in return the strong hand of the settler dealt death and destruction, gradually forcing the red man westward until the land was freed from Indian depredation. The early settlers of Charlotte and its vicinity were principally Scotch-Irish, who came with broad-ax and sword to open the way for liberty and civilization, bringing also that indomitable love for civic and religious freedom which still remains preeminent among the characteristics of their descendants. Colonial life was by no means luxurious nor exempt from toil; land was to be cleared and tilled ; homes, churches, and schools to be established, and all the while unceasing vigilance was necessary to ward off
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The Old Cemetery
attacks from the Indians. Such conditions necessitated years of toil and hardship, of continued activity, and patient endurance. To-day a prosperous and happy land bears witness to their zeal; and where the fathers toiled so earnestly, the children have entered upon the fruitage of their labors.
Years passed and the country became more thickly populated ; the village of Charlotte being in 1768 legally incorporated; in 1774 it
was made the permanent county-seat of Mecklenburg. Though the population was small, and its homes of a primitive order with con- veniences and luxuries almost unknown, Charlotte, as the central point of a large section of country, was even at this early date a place of no small impor- tance. The cross- ing of two county roads formed the center of the vil- lage, and at their intersection stood the court-house.
These cross-roads were dignified by the names of Trade and Tyron streets -the former ob- viously from the amount of business
transacted along its way, the latter in honor of Wil- First Presbyterian Church liam Tyron a Colo- nial Governor of North Carolina. To-day these avenues extend for several miles and are the city's most prominent thoroughfares ; their
View of First Presbyterian Churchyard
Views of Latta Park
intersection, which is known as "Independence Square," ranks among the most historic spots in America.
The coming storm of the American Revolution was foreshadowed throughout the country for some time before its actual culmination. Oppressive taxation, unjust administration of laws, and an increas- ingly tyrannical government, all tended to arouse within a liberty- loving and fearless people that spirit which in the Old World had made martyrs of their kind for religion's sake-which in the New World had nerved them to face untold dangers and even death for the preservation of home and family. The people of Charlotte and" Mecklenburg, known as a law-abiding and conservative people, were
Monument commemorating Mcintyre Skirmish. Seven miles from Charlotte (Erected by Daughters of the American Revolution)
deeply aggrieved by the oppression of English rule, and realized that their dearly-earned rights were fast being infringed. The Battle af Alamance on May 17, 1771, and other events of a like character, gave rapid development to independence of thought, which finally resulted in the bold action taken by the citizens of Mecklen- burg County, in May, 1775.
Pursuant to the order of Col. Thomas Polk, who was a leader in military and civic affairs, a convention consisting of two delegates to be elected from each militia district of the county, was called to meet in the court-house of Charlotte on the 19th day of May, 1775. At previous meetings of the militia companies the sentiment of the people had been voiced with no uncertainty in opposition to the tyranny of England; and it was in accordance with the wishes of the community that this gathering of representative men was called
in order that the existing state of affairs might be fully discussed ; and if it were found advisable, to take action in regard thereto. Abraham Alexander was elected chairman of the con- vention and John McKnitt Alexander, secretary. Great interest was manifested in the meeting for it was evi- dent that recent proclama- tions issued by the King and Governor gave sufficient grounds to the people for the assertion of their rights. Ad- dresses were made by prom- inent citizens before the dele- gates and also a large num- ber of other persons who had gathered to witness the pro- ceedings. A committee was appointed to prepare resolu- tions to submit to the dele- gates. Before matters had reached a crisis, however, a courier rode into the village with tidings of the battle of Lexington, which had oc- curred just one month pre- vious. Excitement was in- tense and only one course of procedure was now to be considered. After lengthy discussion and argument, when the night had worn away into the morning of the 20th, Dr. Ephraim Bre- vard, a member of the committee, presented the amended resolu- tions, which were forthwith adopted. These resolutions couched in terse, emphatic language, are as follows :
Monument marking Birthplace of President James K. Polk Eleven miles from Charlotte (Erected by Daughters of the American Revolution)
I. Resolved, That whosoever directly or indirectly abets, or in any way, form or manner countenances the invasion of our rights, as attempted by the Parliament of Great Britain, is an enemy to his country, to America, and to the rights of man.
II. Resolved, That we, the citizens of Mecklenburg County, do hereby dissolve the political bonds that have connected us with the mother country, and absolve ourselves from all allegiance to the British Crown, adjuring all political connection with the nation that has wantonly trampled on our rights and liberties and inhumanly shed innocent blood of Americans at Lexington
III. Resolved, That we do hereby declare ourselves a free and independent people; that we are, and of right ought to be, a sover- eign and self-governing people under the power of God and the general Congress; to the maintenance of which independence we solemnly pledge to each other our mutual cooperation, our lives, our fortunes and our most sacred honor.
IV. Resolved, That we hereby ordain and adopt as rules of con- duct all and each of our former laws, and that the crown of Great Britain can not be considered hereafter as holding any rights, privi- - leges, or immunities amongst us.
V. Resolved, That all officers, both civil and military in this county, be entitled to exercise the same powers and authorities as heretofore; that every member of this delegation shall henceforth be a civil officer and exercise the powers of a justice of the peace, issue process, hear and determine controversies according to law, preserve peace, union and harmony in the county, and use every exertion to spread the love of liberty and of country until a more general and better organized system of government be established.
VI. Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be transmitted by express to the President of the Continental Congress assembled in Philadelphia, to be laid before that body.
The Old Court House (Shortly before it was torn away to give place to the Selwyn Hotel)
North Tryon Street
The Selwyn Hotel
(Signatures)
ABRAHAM ALEXANDER, Chairman, JOHN McKNITT ALEXANDER, Secretary.
EPHRAIM BREVARD
JOHN DAVIDSON,
ZACCHEUS WILSON,
ROBERT IRWIN,
JAMES HARRIS,
EZRA ALEXANDER,
MATTHEW MCCLURE,
THOMAS POLK SR.
RICHARD BARRY,
HEZEKIAH ALEXANDER,
JOHN FLENNEGIN,
HEZEKIAH J. BALCH,
WILLIAM GRAHAM, WAIGHTSTILL AVERY,
RICHARD HARRIS,
WILLIAM KENNON,
ADAM ALEXANDER,
NEIL MORRISON,
CHARLES ALEXANDER,
HENRY DOWNE,
JOHN PHIFER,
DAVID REESE,
BENJAMIN PATTON,
JOHN QUEARY.
JOHN FORD,
Thus was taken the first decisive step on American soil toward throwing off the English yoke and publicly making a firm and de- cided stand for independence. Immediately upon its adoption, a copy of the Declaration was sent in care of Captain James Jack to the Continental Congress then in session at Philadel- phia. This august body was just at that time preparing an address to the King, wherein was repudiated a desire for independence, and therefore declined to act upon the Mecklenburg Declaration, deem- ing it premature.
Independence Park
The National Declaration of Independence adopted one year later shows most conclusively how closely the initiative steps of Mecklen- burg were followed. An adjourned meeting of the Mecklenburg Convention was held in Charlotte on the 31st of May, and twenty res- olutions, which have been styled the "Thirty-first Resolves," were adopted for the purpose as set forth in an introductory clause, "To provide in some degree for the exigencies of this county in the present alarming period."
Though failing to receive support from the Congress in Philadel- phia, such a document as the Mecklenburg Declaration, bearing signatures of representative men of the county, and of the State of North Carolina, could not fail to be regarded with significance. These bold resolutions proved to be a source of much uneasiness to the royal governor of North Carolina, Josiah Martin, who, disap- proving the violent measures pursued by his predecessor, Governor Tryon, was attempting to restore harmony in the state. His trepi- dation on learning of the independent action at Charlotte is fully portrayed in an address by Governor Martin to the Executive Coun- cil on June 25, 1775; also in a letter written by him to the Earl of Dartmouth, on June 30, 1775, referring to proceedings published in the Cape Fear Mercury, and in a proclamation issued on August 8th of the same year .* On the night of June 14, 1775, Governor Martin left his home in New Bern, going first to Fort Johnson, thence to an English ship lying near by. Here for one year he nominally held the office of Governor, and with his departure royal rule forever ended in the state of North Carolina.
*See Volume 10, Colonial Records of North Carolina.
United States Assay Office
....
Views of Vance Park
In April of the year 1800 the home of John McKnitt Alexander was burned and in it the original copy of the Declaration, together with other valuable papers. The fact that the original manuscript was destroyed, while an unfortunate occurrence, did not affect the historical truth that independence was declared in Charlotte on May 20, 1775 ; but, however, did give occasion to some persons not thoroughly conversant with the history of Mecklenburg to circulate a report fifty years later, that since the original copy was not in existence, there had been no such action taken. Contemporaneous history confutes all reports of this tendency; some persons in this enlightened age would likely doubt the authenticity of the Scriptures, since the original copy is not in hand. Deeds in the Mecklenburg county court-house date from the Mecklenburg
The Post Office Building
Declaration; for example, "This indenture made the 13th day of February, 1779, and in the fourth year of our independence." The Moravian Church at Salem, N. C., has carefully preserved in Ger- man script an annual record called the "Bethania Records," from the year 1755 to the present time. On one of its pages is recorded the following paragraph: "At the end of the year 1775 I cannot omit to mention that already in the summer of the same year-that is to say in May, June or July-the County of Mecklenburg, in North Carolina, did declare itself free and independent from Eng- land, and did make such disposition of the administration of law as later on the Continental Congress established for the whole. But this proceeding Congress looked upon as too premature."
The History of North Carolina by Martin, written during the period 1791-1809, gives reliable authority for its account of the Mecklenburg Declaration.
Lafayette, when entertained at a public dinner at the governor's mansion in Raleigh, N. C., March 2, 1825, offered the following toast : "The state of North Carolina, its metropolis, and the 20th of May, 1775, when a generous people called for freedom, of which may they more and more forever cherish the principles and enjoy the blessings."
VIHWY
Mecklenburg County Court House (Showing Monument to Signers of Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence)
Previous to the burning of his residence, with its many valuable records and documents, John McKnitt Alexander had made several copies of the Declaration; he now made two others from memory, one of these he gave to General William R. Davie, which is known as the "Davie copy," and is preserved in the archives of the North Carolina University. It, however, was not an exact reproduction, which the writer acknowledged on the back of the document, in the following words: "The foregoing statement, though funda- mentally correct, may not literally correspond with the original record of the transactions of said delegation." The National Declaration of Independence bears such a marked resemblance to the Mecklen- burg Declaration, that Thomas Jefferson was accused by some of plagiarism. Among others, the aged John Adams was of this opinion, and received a sharp rebuke from Jefferson, who naturally did not favor such a belief. The Reverend Arnold W. Miller, an
ardent supporter of the Mecklenburg Declaration, in his Centen- nial Sermon of May 16, 1875, traces the origin of American In- dependence back to the "Scottish Bands and Covenants" and says : "These Bands and Covenants educated the Scotch and Irish sett- lers of this country in the principles of liberty and prepared them for the work to which Providence called them, the achievement of American Independence. To the Rev. Alexander Craighead, a Presbyterian minister of Ireland who settled in Mecklenburg in 1759, the people of this county are indebted for that training which placed them in the forefront of American patriots and heroes. It was at this fountain that Dr. Ephraim Brevard and his associates drew their inspirations of liberty. It was from these 'Scottish Bands and Covenants,' as embraced in Rushworth's Collections, we find that Mr. Jefferson drew largely both sentiments and phrases, as he himself admits. The Hon. Julian C. Verplanck, of New York, in an address delivered over forty years ago, traced the origin of the Declaration of Independence to the National Covenants of Scotland. And Chief-Justice Tilghman stated that the framers of the American Constitution were greatly indebted
Charlotte during a Twentieth of May Celebration
to the standards of the Presbyterian Church in Scotland." Hon. George Bancroft, 'the historian, after careful investigation, as- serted the authenticity of the Mecklenburg Declaration and says : "The first voice publicly raised in America to dissolve all connec- tion with Great Britain, came, not from the Puritans of New En- gland, nor the Dutch of New York, nor the planters of Virginia,
but from the Scotch-Irish Presbyterians of North Carolina." Gene- ral Joseph Graham and Rev. Humphrey Hunter, who were present at the convention of May 20, 1775, both state in written records that a great throng was gathered on that occasion and intense inter- est was manifested.
View of Entrance to Post Office Showing Shipp Monument
In the stirring days of the American Revolution, Charlotte and Mecklenburg upheld with distinction the pledges of 1775. Their citizens were prominent in both state and military affairs, and proved themselves valiant defenders of home and country. It was during the year 1780 that the British entered western North Carolina, after over-running Georgia and South Carolina. As Tarleton's forces advanced on Charlotte they were harassed by Major Davie and General Davidson with a small troop of cavalrymen; and at mid- night, September 25, 1780, Davie rode into the town, where he was joined by Major (afterwards General) Joseph Graham, and together they made preparation to meet the oncoming foe. Outnumbered by the enemy fifteen to one, the North Carolinians were nevertheless undaunted, and determined to make a bold stand. On the morning of the 26th of September, they posted their men as advantageously as possible under cover of a stone wall about the court-house, and also stationed a number along East Trade Street. Tarleton's cavalry, commanded by Major Hanger, formed a line within three hundred yards of the court-house, and was supported by solid ranks
of infantry. Three times during the day, they charged, and just so often were met by a steady firing that put their troops in great confusion, besides causing much loss of life. Cornwallis was sur- prised and chagrined to meet this unexpected repulse, and riding to the front, rebuked his men for cowardice. As nightfall approached, Graham and Davie deemed it more prudent, on account of their small force, to seek a position of greater safety. Taking an eastward course, they were vigorously pursued by the British, but succeeded in reaching a safe distance with slight loss of life. Among the
severely wounded, was Major Joseph Graham, who received nine. serious wounds and was left on the field, supposed to be dead. He, however, recovered and rendered further valuable service in the Revolutionary War. This engagement, known as the "Battle of Charlotte," is not numbered among the important battles of Revolutionary history; but it undoubtedly served to
show the British with what manner of men they had to deal in Mecklenburg; and might also have given a fore- warning as to the outcome at King's Mountain and other battles in ' this vicinity. Cornwallis remained in Charlotte sixteen days, but his
Lake at Country Club
stay was not permitted to be a peaceful one. At McIntyre's farm, seven miles to the north, his foraging forces were attacked by a small party of North Carolina soldiers, and after a sharp encounter the British were forced to retreat. This, and other bold onslaughts of the Carolinians, gave the enemy a thoroughly uncomfortable time,
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