Hill's Charlotte (Mecklenburg County, N.C.) City Directory [1961], Part 2

Author: Hill Directory Company.
Publication date: 1961
Publisher: Hill Directory Co.
Number of Pages: 1476

USA > North Carolina > Mecklenburg County > Charlotte > Hill's Charlotte (Mecklenburg County, N.C.) City Directory [1961] > Part 2

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Kugleis

Tryon Street

INTRODUCTION

Population

Charlotte, with an estimated population of 205,400 (Jan. 1, 1961) is by far the largest city in the two Caro- linas, and Mecklenburg County, with a 1960 estimated population of 277,000, is the most populous county. Other significant census figures for Charlotte are: 1850, 1,065; 1900, 18,091; 1920, 46,338; 1940, 100,899; 1950, 134,042. The females have a slight majority of 51.8 per cent. The white race accounts for 72 per cent. Less than 1 per cent is foreign-born. The population of the retail trading area (60-mile radius) exceeds 1,500,000; 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 member city council. 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 building 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, ex- tensive 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 administrative officer of the county Historic Mecklenburg, the wealthiest county 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.

Taxes

The City and County in 1959 assessed ad valorem taxes on all real and tangible property at the following rates per $100 valuation: City, $1.50; County, $1.56. 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 per cent for the first $2,000 net income; 4 per cent on the next $2,000; 5 per cent on the next $2,000; 6 per cent on the next $4,000; and 7 per cent on all over $10,000. Corporations are taxed 6 per cent on their taxable net in- comes. Liberal exemptions are allowed for both individuals and corporations.

Commerce

With almost 212 million 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 $385,812,000 annually. Over 1,959 retail establishments offer consumers almost every con- ceivable product. Downtown streets are lined with modern well-appointed stores which through attractive merchan- dising, draw people from all sections of the Piedmont. The city's per-family buying power is tops for the Caro- linas.

Charlotte, strategically located in the center of the Southeast, is rapidly becoming Dixie's leading distributor. Hundreds of trucks, operated by 102 different truck lines and four railroads moving an average of 207 carloads a day, shuttle goods in and out of this vast Dixie warehouse. According to recent estimates, wholesale sales in Charlotte came to over $1,800,000,000. This volume of wholesale dis- tribution outstrips such larger cities as Birmingham, Rich- mond, Nashville and Jacksonville.

Wholesale distribution from Charlotte has grown so tremendously in recent years because the city is well situ- ated to serve the growing Southern market and has su- perior 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 more than $9 million in checks during 1959. 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 South- ern 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, Char- lotte, unlike many Southern cities, is not completely de- pendent upon textiles. Machinery, chemicals, food prod- ucts, furniture, clothing, printing, building materials and missiles, all are major products of Charlotte's balanced economy.

Charlotte's 500 manufacturers employ more than 27,- 575 persons, many of whom have developed great skill in the technological processes of modern industry. In ad- dition, there is a sizable reserve of manpower on the many farms of the surrounding area available to supplement the present labor force. Charlotte industry 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 readily trainable labor. (2) Superior rail and trucking facilities. (3) Excellent communication facilities. (4) Ex- tensive power and water supplies. (5) Excellent plant sites and buildings. (6) Pleasant, mild climate. (7) A friendly, progressive community. (8) Central location in the South- east.

Utilities

Charlotte is headquarters for the Duke Power Co., which supplies electrical power throughout the Piedmont Carolinas. The vast Duke Power system has 32 hydro-elec- tric plants and 9 steam plants. Total rated installed ca- pacity is 2,783,000 kilowatts. Duke Power's forward-look- ing policies, requiring an investment of more than $30,- 000,000 each year, have played a vital part in the indus- trialization of the Piedmont.

Natural gas from Texas and Louisiana gas fields is distributed in Charlotte and the Carolinas by the Pied- mont Natural Gas Co., with headquarters in Charlotte.

The City of Charlotte has invested an estimated $20,- 000,000 in its water facilities. The present rated capacity of the system is 45,000,000 gallons per day. The city was the first in the Southeast to introduce fluorine into its water as a means of reducing tooth decay. The fluorina- tion 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 18 passenger trains and freight car loading for 1959 was 75,433; five air lines operate over 100 scheduled flights a day from Charlotte's modern, Douglas Airport; seven bus companies schedule over 160 regular departures each day; and 102 truck lines haul thousands of tons of goods to points throughout the South and East. Railroads with lines into Charlotte are: Southern, Pied- mont & Northern, Seaboard, and Norfolk-Southern. Air lines are: Eastern, Capital, Delta, Piedmont and Southern. Bus Companies are: Atlantic Greyhound Lines, Inc .; Grey- hound Lines; Carolina Coach Co .; Queen City Coach Co .: Carolina Scenic. Stages; Queen City Trailways and Caro lina Transit Lines.

INTRODUCTION

.....

Central Business District

CHARLOTTE-"Queen City of the South"-This surging city of 205,400 (est. 1961) is a center of commerce and industry. Charlotte, flourishing chief city of the Carolinas, dominates the Piedmont, a broad, rolling plateau extending from the foot- hills of the Appalachians to the flat Atlantic Coastal Plain. New York is 570 air miles northeast, Atlanta 231 air miles south. Altitude is 765 feet.

Communications

The Southern Bell Telephone Co. has 115,623 tele- phones in Charlotte. The company has calculated that the city population alone will exceed 260,000 by 1970, and is rapidly expanding facilities on this assumption. Southern Bell's state headquarters are located in Charlotte.

Education

Charlotte is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The city and county are in their first year of operating a consolidated school system. Total enrollment of the Char- lotte-Mecklenburg County school system is 61,726. The system embraces a total of 96 schools in all. The break- down reveals there are 61 elementary schools, 11 junior high schools, four junior-senior high schools, six senior high schools, and 14 schools that combine all grade levels. The present school system is undergoing an expansion program. Charlotte's five parochial schools have a com- bined enrollment of over 1,300. Colleges located in and near Charlotte are: Queens College, Charlotte College, Johnson C. Smith University, Negro-co-educational, Carver College (Negro), Davidson College (in Davidson, N. C., 20 miles north), Belmont Abbey College (in Belmont, N. C., 12 miles west of Charlotte). In addition to these, Charlotte has many fine business schools. Among these are Burton Institute, Kings Business College, National School of Com- merce, Carolina Business School, Comptometer School and Dora Ellis Business School, National School of Heavy

Equipment, Metropolitan Business College and Internation- al Accountants Society, Inc.

Medical Facilities

Charlotte has four excellent general hospitals with a combined total of 1,280 beds, and several hospitals with 325 beds. The city has over 283 doctors, of which 241 are specialists. Because of these facilities and the availability of such a large number of specialists, Charlotte has be- come a medical center of considerable importance, The general hospitals are Charlotte Memorial, Presbyterian, Mercy (Catholic) and Good Samaritan (Negro), Expansion of facilities at Memorial Hospital include a new wing and a new nurses' quarters building. Cost of the expansion is expected to exceed six million dollars. Presbyterian Hos- pital has added two new wings at a cost of approximately one and one-half million dollars.

Newspapers and Radio Stations

Charlotte has two widely-circulated, daily newspapers. These are the Charlotte Observer (published mornings circulation 158,391, Sunday 175,598) and the Charlotte News (published evenings except Sunday, circulation in excess of 64,075). There are eight radio stations broad- casting programs of all major networks. These stations are: WBT (AM & FM, CBS); WSOC (AM and FM, NBC); WAYS (AM & FM, ABC); WGIV (AM, Independent), WIST (AM, Mutual and Dixie FM); WMIT (FM), WWOK (Indepen- dent), WKTC (Independent).

HAVILAND SMITH STUDIOS

INTRODUCTION

Television

Charlotte has two television stations, WBTV (CBS), the Carolinas' first television station, began operations in July, 1949 and added facilities for color telecasting in August, 1954. WSOC-TV (NBC, ABC) began operations in April, 1957.

Recreation

Charlotte's broad community program includes nearly every conceivable sport and form of recreation. There are 31 parks and playgrounds, 18 motion picture theatres, 8 golf courses (5 public), private swimming pools, Mu- nicipal Pool, the Little Theatre, a modern sports arena, and four modern community centers. Professional baseball and ice hockey and college and high school football are enjoyed by Charlotte citizens, A $4,698,000 Auditorium- Coliseum is the scene of operas, concerts, Broadway plays, sports events, and all types of shows. Charlotte's Park Center is the site of civic events, sports events and shows.

Travelers Accommodations

Charlotte has eleven principal hotels with 1,565 rooms and a number of smaller hotels. In addition, there are nu- merous first-class motor courts and tourist homes conven- ient to the motoring public. The largest hotels are: Hotel Barringer, Hotel Charlotte, Selwyn Hotel, Mayfair Hotel, Mecklenburg Hotel and Clayton Hotel.

Finger Tip Facts about Charlotte's Sound Growth

Percent

Jan. 1, 1950

Jan. 1, 1960*

Increase

Population

134,042

202,000

50.7

Total Employment

81,070

119,000

46.8

Retail Sales

$173,391,000

$314,393,000

81.3

Wholesale Sales

$1,006,544,000

$1,752,000,000

74.1

Assessed

Valuation

$157,173,290

$467,546,785

197.5

Bank Clearings

$3,981,298,386

$9,047,474,483

127.2

Bank Deposits

$516,865,028

$897,446,695

73.6

Postal Receipts

$2,758,973

$6,515,280

136.1

Electric Meters

65,288

135,436

107.4

Gas Meters

8,555

19,370

126.4

Telephones in Use

54,134

115,623

113.6

Water Meters

32,209

58,134

80.5

Water Consumption

(gallons)

4,989,107,000

7,788,211,000

56.1

Air Passengers

Boarded

86,958

374,327

330.4

Motor Vehicle

Registrations

60,249

118,000

95.9

Latest available figures for Retail and Wholesale Sales are 1958. All other figures are for the year 1959. Popula- tion and Motor Vehicle Registration are estimates.

Charlotte City Hall

INTRODUCTION

Mecklenburg County Courthouse

Statistical Review

Form of Government-Council-manager.

Area-64.8 square miles.

Climate-Mean annual temperature, 60.2 degrees F .; average rainfall, 43.09 inches.

Altitude-765 feet above sea level.

Parks-31, including playgrounds,

Financial Data-8 banks of all types, Branch of Fed- eral Reserve Bank of Richmond located here, 4 building and loan associations,

Postal Receipts-$6,515,280.50 (1959)

Telephones in Use-115,623.

Churches-443, representing 29 denominations.

Building and Construction-Value of building per- mits, $35,394,418.

Industry-Chief industry of city and surrounding territory: Textiles, food processing, machinery and metal products, chemicals, furniture and wood products.

Trade Area-Retail area has radius of 60 miles, and population of 1,500,000; wholesale area, radius of 150 miles, and population of 4,500,000. 1,959 retail stores with annual

sales of over $385,812,000.

Newspapers-2 daily, 1 Sunday and 2 weekly. Radio Stations- 8 (AM and FM); also 2 TVs"

Hotels-11 principal, with total of 1,565 rooms.

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

Highways-Interstate 85, U. S. 29, 21 and 74; State 16, 27 and 49.

Airports-3 privately-owned: 1 municipal, 5 miles from center of city.

Amusements - Auditorium, seating capacity, 2,500: Coliseum seating capacity, 13,500, 8 golf courses in city and suburbs, including several municipal courses, Me- morial Stadium seating capacity, 16,000 and Griffith Park seating capacity, 5,000.

Hospitals-6 large hospitals and several small ones, with total of 1,280 beds.

Education-Queens College; Johnson C. Smith Uni- versity (Negro); Carver College, Charlotte College, 48 pub- lic schools, 5 parochial schools, Number of pupils in public schools, 32,190.

HAVILAND SMITH STUDIOS

INTRODUCTION

Main Building of The Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County.

Charlotte has an excellent library system. Shown is the main branch, completed in 1956 at a cost of $11/4 million. It is one of the city's showplaces and one of the most modern and attractive library buildings in the nation. Over 240,000 volumes are available through the main branch, five city bran ches, five county branches and two mobile units.

Public Libraries-Charlotte's Main Library is housed in a modern, million-dollar building thought by many to be the most beautiful public library building to be found any- where. The building contains an auditorium and four con- ference rooms for use by educational, cultural and civic groups. Some 240,000 volumes are available from the Main Library, branches and mobile libraries. The library pro- vides an educational film lending service with a collection of 16 mm. sound films plus slides, filmstrips and phono- graph records. Branch libraries (eight housed in new buildings) are located as follows:

Brevard St. Branch, 401 S. Brevard St., Charlotte 6, N. C.

Cornelius Public Library, Cornelius, N. C.

Davidson Public Library, Davidson, N. C.

East Branch, 2001 Commonwealth Av., Charlotte 5, N. C.

Huntersville Public Library, Huntersville, N. C.

Matthews Public Library, Matthews, N. C.

North Branch Library, 2324 LaSalle St., Charlotte 8, N. C.

Piedmont Courts Branch, 831 Seigle Av., Charlotte 4, N. C.

Pineville Public Library, Pineville, N. C.

South Branch Library, 1361 Queens Road, Charlotte 7, N. C.

West Branch Library (To Be Constructed), Charlotte 8, N. C.

Mobile Libraries (2) Inquire at Main Library for schedule.

Books borrowed at one service center can be returned at any of the other service centers.

Charlotte History

When the first settlers- Scotch-Irish, English, Ger- mans, Hugenots-penetrated into the southern Piedmont section of North Carolina they found deer and bear, wolves and Catawba Indians in awesome numbers. But, undis- mayed, the settlers went about the job of making homes for themselves.

Tiny Charlotte, only 360 acres of Mecklenburg County soil, was incorporated 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 Meck- lenburg Declaration of Independence, a document which, though not generally acted upon until a year later, laid the foundations of the American Declaration of Independ- ence on July 4, 1776.

Charlotte played a spunky and effective part in the conflict which followed. British General Cornwallis, who was in the town for awhile, called the place "a damned hornet's nest" of rebellion. That reputation has been per- petuated 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, Eden- ton, were far larger. Even by 1850 Charlotte could count only 1,065 heads.

After surviving the rigors of the Civil War and re- construction, 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.

INTRODUCTION

North Carolina National Bank Building

Calendar of Historical Dates

1748 First Permanent settlers in Mecklenburg County.

1749 Earliest land grants from the Crown.

1750 Trade routes with Charleston, S. C., established over Indian trails.

1754 Meeting of King Hagler, chief of Catawba tribe, and commissioners appointed by the governor to estab- lish amicable relations between Indians and settlers.

1762 Mecklenburg County created.

1766 Log court house built.

1767 March 15. Birth of Andrew Jackson in the south- eastern section of Mecklenburg County, now Union County. Thomas Polk's sawmill and grist-mill begins operation.

1768 Charlotte is incorporated. County divided; upper half becomes Tryon County.

1771 Presbyterian ministers perform marriages, a privi- lege theretofore restricted to ministers of the Estab- lished Church and justices of the peace.

1774 Charlotte made county-seat. Population, 200. Queen's Museum becomes successor of Queen's Col- lege.

1775 May 1. Because of dissatisfaction with the adminis- tration of Governor Josiah Martin, Thomas Polk is authorized to call a meeting of delegates from each district.

May 20. Assembly held in the court house in Char- lotte.

Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence 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 Philadelphia with the Declaration of Independence. Congress is prepar- ing address to the king, repudiating desire for in- dependence, so Declaration is not presented.

1776 John Phifer, Robert Irwin and John McKnitt Alex- ander, representatives of the county in Congress, in- structed to declare for independence.

1777 Mecklenburg troops ordered north; engage in battles of Germantown and Brandywine; spend winter with Washington at Valley Forge.

1780 Sept. 26. Battle of Charlotte; Cornwallis occupied town.

Oct. 3. McIntyre Farm skirmish (Battle of the Bees). Oct. 7. British Colonel Patrick Ferguson killed at Battle of Kings Mountain and his force defeated.

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

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

HAVILAND SMITH STUDIOS

INTRODUCTION

SILET

ìais

Charlotte Municipal Airport

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 President of the U. S., born in one-room log cabin 12 miles south of Char- lotte.

1799 Gold discovered in county.

1812-14 Five companies of Mecklenburg troops serve through War of 1812.

1818 Census shows 70 families.

1825 First newspaper established: "Catawba Journal."

1830 Population, 730. First fire engine purchased; cost $100.

1837 Branch of the U. S. Mint begins operations.

1838 Charlotte Male Academy opens.

1840 Population, 849, including 301 Negroes.

1842 Union County formed from southeastern 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, head- master.

1860 Population, 2,265.

1861 April, U. S. Mint appropriated for Military organiza- tion.

May. Drilling of volunteers for the Army of the Con- federacy 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, Virginia.

1864 Jan. 7. Charlotte's depots and warehouses, contain- ing vast amounts of Confederate munitions and sup- plies destroyed by fire at a loss of $10,000,000.

INTRODUCTION

CHARLOTTE, N. C .- Charlotte's ultra-modern entertainment centers, Ovens Audi- torium and Charlotte Coliseum, mark Charlotte as the entertainment center of the Carolinas.

The Coliseum with the largest clear-span dome in the world (diameter 332 feet) of- fers to the sports spectator ice shows, boxing, college and professional basketball, rodeos, swimming shows, and other events. It is the home rink of the Clippers, pro- fessional ice hockey team in the Eastern League. A 10-story building would fit inside the "big dome" easily with room to spare.

Major theatrical attractions find a worthy home in Charlotte's modern and colorful David Ovens Auditorium, companion building to the Coliseum's sport arena and called by Boston's Maestro Charles Muench, "one of the world's great concert halls." Here may be seen the traveling companies of Broadway's best plays and musical comedies.

These two structures were completed at a cost of $4,689,000. The Coliseum has a seat- ing capacity of 13,500. The Auditorium seats 2,500. Parking facilities will accommo- date more than 3,000 automobiles.

1865 April 15. Jefferson Davis, President of the Confed- eracy, arrives with his cabinet and 1,000 calvary. News of Lincoln's assassination.

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

June. Colonel Willard Warner and 180th Ohio Regi- ment occupy Charlotte.

1867 Biddle University for Negroes, now known as John- son C. Smith University, established.

1868 Mint reopened as an assay office, but coinage not resumed.

1869 Cotton sold at 35¢ a pound.

1870 Population, 4,473.

1872 Last of Federal troops depart.

1873 First graded school in state organized in Charlotte.

1874 Last stage line between Charlotte and Wadesboro. (Discontinued).

1880 Population, 7,094.

1881 First cotton mill begins operation.

1887 Electric lights installed. Horse cars first appear.

1890 Population, 11,557.

1891 Charlotte Public Library organized.

1893 Electric power substituted for horse power in street railways.

1898 Two companies from Charlotte in North Carolina regiment land in Havana in Spanish-American War.

1900 Population, 18,091.

1904 Southern Power Co. organized by James B. Duke and W. States Lee.

1909 First Skyscraper, the Realty (Independence) Build- ing, constructed.

1910 Population, 34,014.

HAVILAND SMITH STUDIOS

INTRODUCTION

1917 Camp Greene, temporary U. S. Army cantonment, established in Charlotte.

1920 Population, 46,338.

1927 Charlotte branch of Federal Reserve Bank of Rich- mond opens.

1930 Population, 82,675.

1936 American Legion Memorial Stadium completed. Municipal Airport opens. Mint Museum of Art opens.

1938 Buses replace street cars.

1940 Population, 100,899. 1950 Population, 134,042.

1954 Douglas Municipal Airport Terminal completed.

1955 Auditorium-Coliseum completed. Park Center completed.

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Hill's Charlotte (Mecklenburg County, N.C.) City Directory [1961], Part 2

Author: Hill Directory Company. Publication date: 1961 Publisher: Hill Directory Co. Number of Pages: 1476

Author: Hill Directory Company.
Publication date: 1961
Publisher: Hill Directory Co.
Number of Pages: 1476