Hill's Charlotte (Mecklenburg County, N.C.) City Directory [1952], Part 2

Author: Hill Directory Company.
Publication date: 1952
Publisher: Hill Directory Co.
Number of Pages: 1800

USA > North Carolina > Mecklenburg County > Charlotte > Hill's Charlotte (Mecklenburg County, N.C.) City Directory [1952] > Part 2

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Six Major Departments

The six major departments are arranged in the following order :-

THE ALPHABETICAL LIST OF NAMES of residents and business and professional concerns is the first major department, printed on white paper. This is the only record in existence that aims to show the name, marital status, occupation and address of each adult resident of Charlotte and vicinity, and he name, official personnel, nature and address of each firm and corporation.

THE BUYERS' GUIDE, the second major department, printed on golden- rod paper, contains the advertisements of leading manufacturing, business and professional interests of Charlotte. The advertisements are indexed under headings descriptive of the business represented. This is reference advertising at its best, and merits a survey by all buyers eager to familiarize them- selves with sources of supply. In a large commercial and industrial center like Charlotte, the necessity of having this kind of information immediately avail- able, is obvious. General appreciation of this fact is evidenced by the many reference users of this City Directory service.

THE CLASSIFIED BUSINESS DIRECTORY is the third major depart- ment, printed on yellow paper. This department lists the names of all business and professional concerns in alphabetical order under appropriate headings. This feature constitutes an invaluable and indispensable catalog of the nu- merous interests of the community. The Directory is the common intermediary between user and seller. As such it plays an important part in the daily activi- ties of the commercial and professional world. More buyers and sellers meet through the Classified Business Directory than through any other medium.

THE POSTAL ZONE GUIDE, on pink paper, is the fourth major depart- ment. This section is reproduced verbatim from copy supplied by the postal authorities.

THE DIRECTORY OF HOUSEHOLDERS, INCLUDING STREET AND AVENUE GUIDE, on pink paper, is the fifth major department. In this section the numbered streets are arranged in numerical order, followed by the named streets in alphabetical order: the numbers of the residences and business con- cerns are arranged in numerical order under the name of each street, and the names of the householders and concerns are placed opposite the numbers. The names of the intersecting streets appear at their respective crossing points on each street. Special features of this section are the designation of tenant-owned homes and the designation of homes and places of business having telephones.

INTRODUCTION

THE NUMERICAL TELEPHONE DIRECTORY, on bluc paper, is the sixth major department.

Community Publicity

The Directory reflects the achievements and ambitions of the community, depicting in unbiased terms what it has to offer as a place of residence, as a business location, as a manufacturing site and as an educational center. To broadcast this information, the publishers have placed copies of this issue of the Directory in Directory Libraries, where they are readily available for free public reference, and serve as perpetual and reliable advertisements of Char- lotte and vicinity.

The Charlotte Directory Library

Through the courtesy of the publishers of the Charlotte City Directory. a Directory Library is maintained in the offices of the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce, for free reference by the general public. This is one of more than 600 Directory Libraries installed in the chief cities of the U. S. and Canada by members of the Association of North American Directory Publishers, under whose supervision the system is operated.

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 commensuratc return.

HILL CITY DIRECTORY CO., INC., Publishers.

CHARLOTTE "QUEEN CITY OF THE SOUTH"

(Courtesy Charlotte Chamber of Commerce, Inc.)

LOCATION

Charlotte, 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 southeast 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.

Essa

Tryon Street

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 de- grees 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

1950 U. S. Census reports credit the city with a population of 134,042, as compared with 100,899 in 1940. The Metropolitan Area (Mecklenburg County) has a population of 197,052. Charlotte is by far the largest city in the two Carolinas, and Mecklenburg County is the most populous county. Other signifi- cant census figures for Charlotte are: 1850, 1,065; 1900, 18,091; 1920, 46,338; and 1930, 82,675. Females dominate the poulace, 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 1,325,000; 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

Central Business District

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 amposing building with stately columns of neo-classic design. Like the City Hall, it has become one of Charlotte's showplaces.

TAXES

The City and County assess ad valorem taxes on all real and tangible property at the following rates per $100 valuation: City, $2.15; County, $1.02. 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 $230,000,000 annually. Approximately 1,500 retail establishments in the city offer consumers almost every conceivable product. 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 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 110 dif- ferent truck lines and four railroads moving an average of 295 carloads a day, shutle goods in and out of this vast Dixie warehouse. According to the U. S. Census of Business in 1948, wholesale sales in Charlotte came to a whopping $983,163,000, a 37% increase since 1939. This volume of wholesale distribution

Charlotte Memorial Hospital

INTRODUCTION

placed the city 29th in the nation as a wholesale market and second only to Atlanta in the South. In this category, Charlotte outstrips such larger cities as Birmingham, Richmond, Nashville and Jacksonville.

Wholesale distribution from Charlotte has grown so tremendously in recent years because the city is well situated to serve the growing Southern market and has superior transportation facilities. More than 500 national companies have established offices or warehouses in the city,

Charlotte is far and away the financial giant of the Carolinas. The city's eight large commercial banks cleared $5,787,932,723 in checks during 1951. Total resources of these banks are $654,028,817. 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.

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 500 manufacturers employ more than 22,000 persons, many of whom have developed great skill in the technological processes of modern in- dustry. In addition, there is a sizeable 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. Mecklenburg's fine farms and dairies support nearly 16,000 farmers and farm hands. Principal products are corn, cotton, grain, vegetables, poultry and dairy products.

Mecklenburg County Court House

INTRODUCTION

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 several companies to construct a pipeline to bring natural gas to this area.

The City of Charlotte has invested an estimated $12,000,000 in its water facilities. The present rated capacity of the system is 24,000,000 gallons per day; however, expansion of facilities will soon boost the rated capacity. 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 beneficial to future generations of Charlotte citizens.

TRANSPORTATION

Charlotte is the transportation center of the Carolinas. Four railroads operate 27 passenger trains and haul an average of 295 carloads of freight every day; four air lines operate 70 scheduled flights a day; five bus companies schedule over 300 regular departures each day; and 110 truck lines haul thou- sands of tons of goods to points throughout the South and East. Railroads with lines into Charlotte are: Southern, Piedmont & Northern, Seaboard, and Nor- folk-Southern. Air lines are: Eastern, Capital, Piedmont and Southern. Bus companies are: Queen City Coach, Carolina Scenic Stages, Carolina Coach, Carolina Transit Lines, and Greyhound.

COMMUNICATIONS

The Southern Bell Telephone Co. has 63,166 telephones in Charlotte. The

Skyline from the Railroad Yards

INTRODUCTION

company has calculated that the city will have a population of 237,000 by 1966, and is rapidly expanding facilities on this assumption. 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 32 schools with an en- rollment of 22,366. 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, 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 1,045 beds, and several special hospitals with 332 beds. The city has about 250 doctors, of which over 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 Memorial, 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 138,000, Sunday 140,000) and The Charlotte News (published evenings except Sunday, circula- tion in excess of 72,000). 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); WMIT (FM). WBTV, the Carolinas' first television station, began operations in July, 1949, and three other stations have TV applications pending. WBTV is connected with the major networks by co- axial cable.

TRAVELERS' ACCOMMODATIONS

Charlotte has seven principal hotels with 1,400 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

1946

1850 U. S. Census

1,065

1948

1860 U. S. Census

2,265

1950

1870 U. S. Census

4,473

1951

1880 U. S. Census

:7,094

1890 U. S. Census

11,557

1900 U. S. Census

118,091

1900

$ 3,900,000.00

1910 U. S. Census

34,014

1910

9,970,000.00

1920 U. S. Census

46,338

1920

41,111.524.00

1930 U. S. Census

82,675

1923

42,143,554.00

1940 U. S. Census

100,899:

1924

47,333,988.80

1950 U. S. Census

134,042

1925

60,000,000.00

Industrial Plants

1926

66,593,522.28

1900

1927

77,207,866.92

1910

108

1928

77,587,836.44

1925

200

1932

47,331,867.00

1930

167.

1937

79,304,000.00

1939

277

1938

94,452,735.77

1943

285

1939

221,531,351.89

324

360

400

500

Bank Resources

INTRODUCTION

1940

252,468,994.05

1947

514,633,541.73

1941

314,725,041.27

1948

513,824,110.00

1943

406,690,971.00

1949

513,977,157.29

1944

$445,731,086.39

1950

551,537,175.53

1945

547,886,404.50

Bank Clearings

1946

533,952,669.13

1927

654,758,277.97

1947

548,669,473.65

1928

658,895,377.79

1948

552,934,196.00

1929

725,602,773.24

1949

559,414,246.43

1932

404,084,638.69

1950

597,111,468.48

1936

651,731,959.03

1951

654,028,817.47

1937

726,253,626.91

1938

769,108,200.00

1928

46,475,693.14

1940

847,446,979.74

1932

30,563,805.15

1941

1,159,172,561.00

1937

69,937,000.00

1943

1,868,817,678.00

1938

86,845,519.40

1944

2,052,448,000.00

1939

206,288,680.25

1945

2,303,316,718.00

1940

234,012,455.99

1946

3,078,797,756.00

1941

294,663,259.19

1947

3,636,029,117.69

1943

385,567,229.00

1948

4,042,169,184.00

1944

422,502,265.02

1949

3,981,298,386.03

1945

517,472,586.99

1950

4,993,643,497.02

1946

501,188,906.53

1951

5,787,932,723.07

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 valued 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

1949

26,220,000 checks valued at

11,472,884,000

1950

29,268,000 checks valued at 13,961,519,000

Carloadings Inbound

1938

36,793

1939

40,852

1940

45,552

1943

57,839

1944

60,072

1945

51,256

1946

63,047

1947

60,341

1948

74,488

1949

70,327

1950

73,735

Outbound

1938

11,241

1939

13,963

1940

16,439

1943

31,027

1944

34,174

County)

168,527,520.00

1945

24,131

1946

25,426

1947

24,616

1948

27,203

1949

27,711

1950

25,866

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

1947 (City and

County)

193,107,045.00

Bank Deposits

1927

$ 46,479,955.20

1939

735,226,831.37

INTRODUCTION

Charlotte's Post-Office Receipts

1920

$ 431,490.00

1925

7,363,805

1921

460,003.00

1927

5,449,364

1923

600,000.00

1928

7,415,612

1924

661,567.00

1936

2,741,270

1925

722,672.54

1937

3,513,708

1926

752,937.75

1938

2,917,576

1927

785,125.57

1939

5,379,120

1928

842,857.07

1940

4,285,729

1929

843,330.53

1941

4,835,966

1930

788,094.41

1944

806,168

1931

727,720.75

1945

4,135,664

1932

736.605.66

1946

9,300,000

1933

766,641.92

1947

10,495,106

1934

834,760.21

1948

17,544,847

1935

890.870.69

1949

23,157,251

1936

950,589.00

1950

32,011,577

Vital Statistics BIRTHS

1942

3,365

1943

3,969

1944

3,943

1945

3,902

1946

4,739

1947

5,796

1946

1,810,335.00

1947

2,096,791.58

1949

5,543

1948®

2,413,907.00

1949

2,758,973.21

1950

3,018,958.35

1951

3,170,004.87

Telephones

Dec. 31, 1945

32,353

Dec. 31, 1946

39,744

Dec. 31, 1947

42,000

Dec. 31, 1948

48,609

1947

1,293

Dec. 31, 1949

54,134

1948

1,407

Dec. 31, 1951.

63,166

1949

1,313

Value Building Permits

1950

1,363

1923

$ 5,263,340

1951

1,428

STATISTICAL REVIEW

Form of Government-Council-manager.

Area-30.4 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 resources of $654,028,817 (Dec. 31, 1951). Branch of Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond located here. 3 building and loan associations.

Postal Receipts-$3,170,004.87 (1951).

Telephones in Use-63,166.

Churches-350, representing 18 denominations.

Building and Construction-Value of building permits, $32,011,577 (1950). Industry-Chief industries of city and surrounding territory: Manufac- turing, 55%; agriculture, 45%. 500 manufacturing establishments.

Trade Area-Retail area has radius of 60 miles, and population of 1,325,000; 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-6 (AM and FM); also 1 TV.

Hotels-7 principal, with total of 1,400 rooms.

DEATHS

1942

1,054

1943

1,187

1944

1,219

1945

1,280

1946

1,238

1950

5,613

1951

6,052

1937

1,028,553.02

1938

1,046,183.24

1939

1,122,790.68

1940

1,190,044.36

1941

1,174,644.33

1943

1,418,584.00

1944

1,670,490.47

1945

1,731,637.14

1948

5,640

INTRODUCTION

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 3,000 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). 32 public schools, including 3 senior high and 2 junior high. 1 parochial school. Number of pupils in public schools, 22,366; 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 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

Mint Museum of Art

INTRODUCTION

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.

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 1859 Charlotte Female Institute organized. Charlotte Military Academy opens. D. H. Hill, headmaster.

1860 Population, 2,265.

1861 April. U. S. Mint appropriated for Military 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.

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Hill's Charlotte (Mecklenburg County, N.C.) City Directory [1952], Part 2

Author: Hill Directory Company. Publication date: 1952 Publisher: Hill Directory Co. Number of Pages: 1800

Author: Hill Directory Company.
Publication date: 1952
Publisher: Hill Directory Co.
Number of Pages: 1800