Hill's Charlotte (Mecklenburg County, N.C.) City Directory [1950], Part 2

Author: Hill Directory Company.
Publication date: 1950
Publisher: Hill Directory Co.
Number of Pages: 1656


USA > North Carolina > Mecklenburg County > Charlotte > Hill's Charlotte (Mecklenburg County, N.C.) City Directory [1950] > Part 2


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The publishers appreciatively acknowledge the recognition by those pro- gressive business and professional men who have demonstrated their confi- dence in the City Directory as an advertising medium, with assurance that it will bring a commensurate return.


HILL DIRECTORY CO., Inc., Publishers.


CHARLOTTE "QUEEN CITY OF THE SOUTH"


(Courtesy Charlotte Chamber of Commerce, Inc.)


LOCATION


Charlotte, pulsing chief city of the Carolinas, dominates a rich, undulating plateau between the Appalachian Mountains and the Atlantic coastal plain. The city is the geographic center of a young, rapidly-expanding market. It is 550 miles southwest of New York; 230 miles northeast of Atlanta; 600 miles south- east of Chicago; 330 miles southwest of Washington; 160 miles from the Atlantic Ocean; and far south of knee-deep snow. Charlotte is accessible from every direction by every known conveyance except an ocean-going ship. It is 779 feet above the sea, in latitude 35 degrees 14 minutes n., longitude 80 degrees 50 minutes w.


FE


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-


-


Tryon Street


-U


INTRODUCTION


CLIMATE


Charlotte winters are seldom uncomfortable and never as severe as those experienced in the Northern and Western states. Summers are warm, but rarely uncomfortable. The average annual temperature is 60.7 degrees, with a seasonal variation of 36.5 degrees from 42.3 degrees in January to 78.8 degrees in July. Pleasant, mild temperatures are enjoyed for more than six months of the year-60.4 degrees in spring, 61.8 degrees in fall. Average winter tem- perature is 43.2 degrees; summer, 77.6 degrees. The frost-free season spans midyear from March to November, averaging 237 days. Other data: Annual rainfall averages 49.12 inches. Morning humidity averages 78%; noon, 57%, and evening, 63%.


POPULATION


An estimated 140,000 people enjoy the corporate advantages of Charlotte's 29.7 square miles. During the 1940 U. S. Census, 100,899 persons were counted in the city, thus making Charlotte the first city in the Carolinas to pass the 100,000 mark. Since that time the city limits have been extended to include 10.4 additional square miles of heavily-populated area. These new citizens account for a large part of the increase since 1940. Other significant census figures for Charlotte are: 1850, 1,065; 1900, 18,091; 1920, 46,338; and 1930, 82,675. Females dominate the populace, with a 52.8% majority. The white race accounts for 67.1%. Less than 1% is foreign-born. The population of the retail trading area (60-mile radius) exceeds 1,250,000; the wholesale trading area (150,mile radius) has a booming 4,500,000 consumers.


GOVERNMENT


Charlotte is governed by a popularly-elected mayor and seven councilmen. A city manager, appointed at the pleasure of the council, is the administrative head of the city government. The City Hall is a handsome three-story build- ing of neo-classic design which was erected in the early 1920's on a site six blocks from the center of the city. Public services include excellent schools, an expertly-manned police department, a modern fire department, extensive water and sewerage facilities, health and welfare departments, and many others.


Mecklenburg County, of which Charlotte is the seat, is governed by a board of county commissioners. The chairman of this board is the chief ad- ministrative officer of the county. Historic Mecklenburg, the wealthiest county


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Central Business District


14


INTRODUCTION


in the state, has a fine school system and an efficient rural police force, and provides its citizens with superior public services. The Mecklenburg County Court House, situated adjacent to the City Hall, is an imposing building with stately columns of neo-classic design. Like the City Hall, it has become one of Charlotte's showplaces.


Since Charlotte is the largest city in the state, the government of North Carolina maintains a number of branch offices here to serve the people of the surrounding area. Likewise, the Federal Government has various regional offices located in the city, representing almost every major department of the U. S. Government. Federal offices are concentrated in the U. S. Post Office and Court House on W. Trade St. The lobby of this handsome structure measures 395 feet from end to end.


TAXES


The City and County assess ad valorem taxes on all real and tangible property at the following rates per $100 valuation: City, $1.89; County, $.89. In actual practice, property valuations are well below true values. Only minor occupational licenses are required by the City. North Carolina income tax is assessed at a rate of 3% for the first $2,000 net income; 4% on the next $2,000; 5% on the next $2,000; 6% on the next $4,000; and 7% on all over $10,000. Corporations are taxed 6% of their taxable net incomes. Liberal exemptions are allowed for both individuals and corporations.


COMMERCE


With more than 1,250,000 people living within easy motoring distance of Charlotte, the city has become one of the 25 greatest markets in the nation. The retail sales volume now exceeds $200,000,000 annually. Approximately 1,500 retail establishments in the city offer consumers almost every conceivable prod- uct. Downtown streets are lined with modern, well-appointed stores which, through attractive merchandising, draw people from all sections of the Pied- mont. The total buying power of the Charlotte market exceeds $1,000,000,000 annually, and the city's per-family buying power of $6,822 a year is tops for the Carolinas.


Charlotte, strategically located in the center of the Southeast, is rapidly becoming Dixie's leading distributor. Hundreds of trucks, operated by 90 dif- ferent truck lines and four railroads moving an average of 290 carloads a day, shuttle goods in and out of this vast Dixie warehouse. Wholesale sales now exceed $638,000,000 a year to place the city about 30th in the nation, a much higher ranking than the population would indicate. The 400 or more national manufacturers who have established warehousing facilities in Charlotte are in a highly advantageous position to reach this great, growing market.


Charlotte Memorial Hospital


15


INTRODUCTION


Charlotte is far and away the financial giant of the Carolinas. The city's eight large commercial banks cleared $4,042,169,184 in checks during 1948. Total resources of these banks exceed $550,000,000. One of Charlotte's many investment banking concerns is ranked as the ninth largest in the country, which is a reflection of the financial activity of the city. Charlotte also has a branch of the Federal Reserve Bank, which cleared $11,603,754,000 in checks during 1948.


INDUSTRY


Charlotte is the geographical center of the vast Southern textile industry which has its heaviest concentration in the Piedmont Carolinas, where two- thirds of all the looms and spindles in the South are located. Although there are 60 textile mills in the immediate vicinity, Charlotte, unlike many Southern cities, is not completely dependent upon textiles. Machinery, chemicals, food products, furniture, clothing, printing, building materials, all are major products of Charlotte's balanced economy.


Charlotte's 360 manufacturers employ more than 20,000 persons, many of whom have developed great skill in the technological processes of modern in- dustry. In addition, there is a sizable reserve of manpower on the many farms of the surrounding area available to supplement the present labor force. Native- born Americans comprise 99% of the entire labor force. Charlotte always has enjoyed excellent labor-management relations and has never had a major work stoppage.


Charlotte offers manufacturers many advantages which have contributed to the rapid expansion of industry in this area. Some of the advantages are: (1) Reserve of skilled and unskilled labor. (2) Superior rail and trucking facili- ties. (3) Excellent communication facilities. (4) Extensive power and water sup- plies. (5) Excellent plant sites and buildings. (6) Pleasant, mild climate. (7) A friendly, progressive community. (8) Central location in the Southeast.


Although the expansion of manufacturing in the Charlotte region has been substantial, agriculture is still the basic industry of Mecklenburg County. Meck- lenburg's fine farms and dairies support nearly 16,000 farmers and farm hands. Principal products are corn, cotton, grain, vegetables, poultry and dairy products.


UTILITIES


Charlotte is headquarters for the Duke Power Co., which supplies electrical power throughout the Piedmont Carolinas. The vast Duke Power system has twelve major hydro-electric plants with a total rated installed capacity of 444,220 kilowatts and six steam plants with a capacity of 659,400 kilowatts. Total rated installed capacity is 1,103,620 kilowatts. Duke Power's forward- looking policies, as evidenced by a $100,000,000 post-war expansion program, have played a vital part in the industrialization of the Piedmont. Another step forward for the Piedmont is the proposal by the Piedmont Natural Gas Corp. to construct a pipeline to bring natural gas to this area.


Mecklenburg County Court House


1


16


INTRODUCTION


The City of Charlotte has invested an estimated $10,000,000 in its water facilities. The present rated capacity of the system is 17,000,000 gallons per day; however, a $2,000,000 expansion of facilities will soon boost the rated ca- pacity to 24,000,000 gallons a day. The city was the first in the Southeast to introduce fluorine into its water as a means of reducing tooth decay. The fluorination program, which was begun April 1, 1949, will be particularly bene- ficial to future generations of Charlotte citizens.


TRANSPORTATION


Charlotte is the transportation center of the Carolinas. Four railroads operate 54 passenger trains and haul an average of 290 carloads of freight every day; four air lines operate 57 scheduled flights a day; five bus companies schedule over 300 regular departures each day; and 90 truck lines haul thousands of tons of goods to points throughout the South and East. Railroads with lines into Charlotte are: Southern, Piedmont & Northern, Seaboard, and Norfolk- Southern. Air lines are: Eastern, Capital, Piedmont and Southern. Bus com- panies are: Queen City Coach, Carolina Scenic Stages, Carolina Coach, Carolina Transit Lines, and Greyhound.


COMMUNICATIONS


The Southern Bell Telephone Co. has more than 50,000 telephones in Char- lotte. The company has calculated that the city will have a population of 237,- 000 by 1966, and is rapidly expanding facilities on this assumption. It is now estimated that 58,000 telephones will be in operation by Jan. 1, 1950. Southern Bell's state headquarters are located in Charlotte. The city also is a relay point in the vast Western Union system, and processes telegrams for cities throughout the region.


EDUCATION


Charlotte's excellent public school system embraces 30 schools with an en- rollment of 20,000. The Mecklenburg County system has 43 schools with an enrollment of 13,000. Both systems are now undergoing large expansion pro- grams. Colleges located in and near Charlotte are: Queens College; women,


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Skyline from the Railroad Yards


17


INTRODUCTION


enrollment 400; College Center of the University of North Carolina; Johnson C. Smith University, Negro co-educational, enrollment 1,600; and Davidson College (in Davidson, N. C., 20 miles north), men, enrollment 950. In addition to these, Charlotte has many fine business schools. Among these are Burton Institute, Kings Business College, National School of Commerce, Carolina Busi- ness School, and Evans College of Commerce.


MEDICAL FACILITIES


Charlotte has four excellent general hospitals with a combined total of 980 beds, and several special hospitals with 332 beds. The city has 223 doctors, of which about 100 are certified specialists. Because of these facilities and the availability of such a large number of specialists, Charlotte has become a medical center of considerable importance. The general hospitals are Charlotte Memori- al, Presbyterian, Mercy (Catholic), and Good Samaritan (Negro).


NEWSPAPERS AND RADIO STATIONS


Charlotte has two widely-circulated, top-notch daily newspapers. These are The Charlotte Observer (published mornings, circulation 134,000, Sunday 140,000) and The Charlotte News (published evenings except Sunday, circula- tion in excess of 70,000). There are six radio stations broadcasting programs of all major networks. These stations are: WBT (AM and FM, CBS); WSOC (AM and FM, NBC); WAYS (AM and FM, ABC); WGIV (AM, independent); WIST (FM, Mutual and Dixie FM); and WMIT (FM). WBTV, the Carolinas' first television station, began operations in July, 1949, and three other stations have TV applications pending.


TRAVELERS' ACCOMMODATIONS


Charlotte has seven principal hotels with 1,300 rooms, and a number of smaller hotels. In addition, there are numerous first-class tourist homes and motor courts convenient to the motoring public. The largest hotels are: Hotel Barringer, Hotel Charlotte, Selwyn Hotel, Mayfair Hotel, Mecklenburg Hotel, and Clayton Hotel.


CHARLOTTE'S GROWTH


Population


1943


406,690,971.00


1850 U. S. Census


1,065


1944


445,731,086.39


1860 U. S. Census


2,265


1945


547,886,404.50


1870 U. S. Census


4,473


1946


533,952,669.13


1880 U. S. Census ...


7,094


1947


.548,669,473.65


1890 U. S. Census


11,557


1948


.552,934,196.00


1900 U. S. Census


18,091


Bank Deposits


1910 U. S. Census


34,014


1927


.$46,479,955.20


1920 U. S. Census


46,338


1928


46,475,693.14


1930 U. S. Census


82,675


1932


30,563,805.15


1940 U. S. Census


100,899


1937


69,937,000.00


1948 Estimated


120,000


1949 Estimated


140,000


Industrial Plants


1900


57


1910


108


1925


200


1944


422,502,265.02


1930


167


1945


517,472,586.99


1939


277


1943


285


1947


514,633,541.73


1946


324


1948


360


Bank Resources


1927


$ 654,758,277.97


1928


658,895,377.79


1910


9,970,000.00


1929


725,602,773.24


1920


41,111,524.00


1932


404,084,638.69


1923


42,143,554.00


1936


651,731,959.03


1924


47,333,988.80


1937


726,253,626.91


1925


60,000,000.00


1938


769,108,200.00


1926


66,593,522.28


1939


735,226,831.37


1927


77,207,866.92


1940


847,446,979.74


1928


77,587,836.44


1941


1,159,172,561.00


1932


47,331,867.00


1943


1,868,817,678.00


1937


79,304,000.00


1944


2,052,448,000.00


1938


94,452,735.77


1945


2,303,316,718.00


1939


221,531,351.89


1946


3,078,797,756.00


1940


252,468,994.05


1947


3,636,029,117.69


1941


314,725,041.27


1948


.4,042,169,184.00


1938


86,845,519.40


1939


206,288,680.25


1940


234,012,455.99


1941


294,663,259.19


1943


385,567,229.00


1946


.501,188,906.53


1948


513,824,110.00


Bank Clearings


1900


$ 3,900,000.00


18


INTRODUCTION


Federal Reserve Bank


The Carolina Branch of the Fifth District Federal Reserve Bank cleared:


1936


8,652,009 checks valued at $1,803,371,000


1938.


9,464,000 checks valued at 1,811,118,000


1939


9,899,000 checks valued at 2,093,793,000


1940


11,182,000 checks valued at


2,603,114,000


1941 13,823,000 checks valued at


4,067,416,000


1942


14,265,000 checks values at 5,132,640,000


1943 15,825,000 checks valued at 5,777,406,000


1944 .17,731,000 checks valued at


6,244,514,000


1945 19,849,000 checks valued at 7,046,219,000


1946 22,708,000 checks valued at 9,025,297,000


1947. .23,423,000 checks valued at 10,426,171,000


1948


24,906,000 checks valued at 11,603,754,000


Telephones


December 31, 1945 .32,353


December 31, 1946


39,744


December 31, 1947


42,000


December 31, 1948.


.48,609


Value Building Permits


1923


$5,263,340


1925


7,363,805


1927


5,449,364


1928


7,415,612


1936


2,741,270


1937


3,513,708


1938


2,917,576


1939


5,379,120


1940


4,285,729


1941


4,835,966


1944


806,168


1945


4,135,664


1946


9,300,000


1947


10,495,106


1948


17,544,847


Vital Statistics BIRTHS


1942


3,365


1943


3,969


1944


3.943


1945


3,902


1946


4,739


1947


5,796


1948


5,640


DEATHS


1942


1,054


1943


1,187


1944


1,219


1945


1,280


1946


1,238


County (1947-1948


1.15


1947


1,293


Total


$2.85


1948


1,407


Charlotte's Post-Office Receipts


1920


$ 431,490.00


1935


890,870.69


1921


460,003.00


1936


950,589.00


1923


600,000.00


1937


1,028,553.02


1924


661,567.00


1938


1.046,183.24


1925


722,672.54


1940


1,190,044.36


1926


752,937.75


1939


1,122,790.68


1927


785,125.57


1941


1,174,644.33


1928


842,857.07


1943


1,418,584.00


1930


788,094.41


1944


.. 1,670,490.47


1931


727,720.75


1945


1,731,637.14


1932


736,605.66


1946


1,810,335.00


1933


766,641.92


1947


2,096,791.58


1934


834,760.21


1948


2,413,907.00


1939


40,852


1940


45,552


1943


57,839


1944


60,072


1945


51,256


1946


63,047


1947


60,341


1948


74,488


Outbound


1938


11,241


1939


13,963


1940


16,439


1943


31,027


1944


34,174


1945


24,131


1946


25,426


1947


24,616


1948


27,203


Real Estate Taxable Value (2.3 Cash Value)


1939 (City and County)


above $139,331,525.00


1940 (City and


County)


145,230,795.00


1943 (City and


County) . 163,434,015.00


1944 (City and


County)


164,338,505.00


1945 (City and


County) 165,383,395.00


1946 (City and


County)


168,527,520.00


1947 (City and


County)


193,107,045.00


Tax Rate


City (1947-48)


$1.70


1929


843,330.53


Carloadings Inbound


1938


36,793


19


INTRODUCTION


STATISTICAL REVIEW


Form of Government-Council-manager.


Area-29.7 square miles.


Climate-Mean annual temperature 60.7 degrees F .; average annual rain- fall, 49.12 inches.


Altitude -779 feet above sea level.


Parks-27, including playgrounds.


Financial Data-10 banks of all types, with total deposits of $513,824,110 (Dec. 31, 1948)., and total resorces of $552,934,196 (Dec. 31, 1948). Branch of Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond located here. 3 building and loan associations.


Postal Receipts-$2,413,907 (calendar year 1948).


Telephones in Use-50,132.


Churches-350, representing 18 denominations.


Building and Construction-Value of building permits, $17,544,847 (1948). Industry-Chief industries of city and surrounding territory: Manufac- turing, 55%; agriculture, 45%. 360 manufacturing establishments, paying wages of $40,963,000 annually.


Trade Area-Retail area has radium of 60 miles, and population of 1,250,000; wholesale area, radius of 150 miles, and population of 4,500,000. 1,500 retail stores in city, with annual sales of over $200,000,000.


Newspapers-2 daily, 1 Sunday and 3 weekly.


Radio Stations-4 AM, 5 FM, 1 TV.


Hotels-7 principal, with total of 1,300 rooms.


Railroads-4: Southern, Seaboard Air Line, Norfolk-Southern and Pied- mont & Northern.


Highways-U. S. 29, 31 and 74; State 27, 49, 262 and 271.


Airports-4 privately-owned; 1 municipal, 5 miles from center of city. Amusements-Largest auditorium in city seats 5,000 persons. Total seat- ing capacity of theatres, 7,500. 13 golf courses in city and suburbs, including several municipal courses.


Hospitals-4 large hospitals and several small ones, with total of 1,312 beds.


Education-Queens College (for women); Johnson C. Smith University (for colored). 30 public schools, including 3 senior high and 2 junior high. 1 parochial school. Number of pupils in public schools, 20,000; in parochial, 180.


Public Libraries-10, including branches, with total of 115,000 volumes. 30 library service stations; 280 educational films; also slides and film strips, and phonograph records.


CHARLOTTE HISTORY


When the first settlers-Scotch-Irish, English, Germans, Huguenots- penetrated into the southern Piedmont section of North Carolina they found


Mint Museum of Art


20


INTRODUCTION


deer and bear, wolves and Catawba Indians in awesome numbers. But, un- dismayed, the settlers went about the job of making homes for themselves.


Tiny Charlotte, only 360 acres of Mecklenburg County soil, was incor- porated in November, 1768. Six years later the settlement became the county seat and organized a regular town government. Although Charlottetown could boast only a handful of settlers, its spirited defiance of the British was known from St. Augustine to Plymouth Rock. On May 20, 1775, Charlotte patriots signed the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence, a document which, though not generally acted upon until a year later, laid the founda- tions of the American Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.


Charlotte played a spunky and effective part in the conflict which fol- lowed. British General Cornwallis, who was in the town for awhile, called the place "a damned hornet's nest" of rebellion. That reputation has been perpetuated in the city seal.


During the days following the war, Charlotte began to show promise; even so, the town was still a mere upstart in the wilderness. Wilmington, New Bern, Raleigh, Edenton, were far larger. Even by 1850 Charlotte could count only 1,065 heads.


After surviving the rigors of the Civil War and reconstruction, Charlotte began anew its ascendancy as the chief city of the Carolinas. Each Federal Census in the years which followed foretold Charlotte's destiny. Today its top position in the Carolinas is undisputed.


CALENDAR OF HISTORICAL DATES


1748 First permanent settlers in Mecklen- burg County.


1749 Earliest land grants from the Crown.


1750 Trade routes with Charleston, S. C., es- tablished over Indian trails.


1754 Meeting of King Hagler, chief of Ca- tawba tribe, and commissioners ap- pointed by the governor to establish amicable relations between Indians and the settlers.


1762 Mecklenburg County created.


1766 Log court house built.


1767 March 15. Birth of Andrew Jackson in the southeastern section of Meck- lenburg County, now Union County. Thomas Polk's sawmill and grist-mill begin operation.


1768 Charlotte is incorporated. County di- vided; upper half becomes Tryon County.


1771 Presbyterian ministers perform mar- riages, a privilege theretofore re- stricted to ministers' of the Estab- lished Church and justices of the peace.


1774 Charlotte made county-seat. Popula- tion, 200.


Queen's Museum becomes successor of Queen's College.


1775 May 1. Because of dissatisfaction with the administration of Governor Josiah Martin, Thomas' Polk is au- thoribed to call a meeting of dele- gates from each district.


May 20. Assembly held in the court house in Charlotte.


Mecklenburg Declaration of Independ- ence approved and read. Captain James Jack deputized to take docu- ment to Continental Congress in Philadelphia.


May 31. Assembly reconvenes and draws up another set of resolutions, called the Resolves.


June 23. Captain Jack arrives in Phila- delphia with the Declaration of Inde- pendence. Congress is preparing ad- dress to the King, repudiating desire for independence, so Declaration is not presented.


1776 John Phifer, Robert Irwin and John McKnitt Alexander, representatives of the county in Congress, instructed to declare for independence.


1777 Mecklenburg troops ordered north; en- gage in battles of Germantown and Brandywine ; spend winter with Washington at Valley Forge. 1780 Sept. 26. Battle of Charlotte; Corn- wallis occupies town.


Oct. 3. McIntyre Farm skirmish (Bat- tle of the Bees).


Oct. 7. British Colonel Patrick Fergu- son killed at Battle of Kings Moun- tain and his force defeated.


Oct. 12. Cornwallis withdraws from Charlotte, referring to the place as a "hornet's nest."


1781 Feb. 1. 300 Revolutionaries defeated at Cowan's Ford, near Charlotte, by Cornwallis; General Wm. Davidson slain.


1790 Population, 325.


1791 George Washington visits Charlotte.


1792 Cabarrus County created from eastern section of Mecklenburg.


Andrew Jackson licensed to practice law in Charlotte.


U. S. Post Office established.


1795 Nov. 2. James Knox Polk, 11th Presi- dent of the U. S., born in one-room log cabin 12 miles south of Charlotte. 1799 Gold discovered in' county.


1812-14 Five companies of Mecklenburg troops serve throughout War of 1812. 1818 Census shows 70 families.


1825 First newspaper established, "Catawba Journal."


1830 Population, 730. First fire engine pur- chased; cost $100.


1837 Branch of the U. S. Mint begins opera- tions.


1838 Charlotte Male Academy opens.


1840 Population, 849, including 301 Negroes. 1842 Union County formed from southeast- ern section of Mecklenburg.


1847 Company of dragoons, under Green W. Caldwell, leaves for Vera Cruz to serve in the Mexican War.


1849 Contract let for grading railroad from Charlotte to Columbia, S. C.


1850 Population, 1,065.


1852 First passenger train arrives; picnic attended by crowd estimated at


20,000.


1854 First steam power used in Leroy Springs' flour mill. 1856 Railroad from Charlotte to Goldsboro completed.


1857 Charlotte Female Institute organized.


1859 Charlotte Military Academy opens. D. H. Hill, headmaster.


1860 Population, 2,265.


1861 April. U. S. Mint appropriated for mili- tary organization.


May. Drilling of volunteers for the Army of the Confederacy begins. Faculty and cadets of Charlotte Mili- tary Academy taken to Raleigh to drill troops.


1862 Center of naval ordnance moved to Charlotte from Norfolk, Va.


1864 Jan. 7. Charlotte's depots and ware- houses, containing vast amounts of Confederate munitions and supplies, destroyed by fire at a loss of $10,000, - 000.


1865 April 15. Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy, arrives with his cabinet and 1,000 cavalry. News of Lincoln's assassination.


April 20. Last full meeting of Confed- erate cabinet held at home of Colonel Wm. Phifer on North Tryon St.


INTRODUCTION


21


June. Colonel Willard Warner and 180th Ohio Regiment occupy Char- lotte.




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