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Early Settlements 1585-1662
Proprietary Colony 1663-1729
Rural Beginnings 1730-1772
Rural Rebellion 1773-1775
Revolutionary War 1776-1781
Nation: America 1782-1819
Antebellum Days 1820-1852
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U.S. Civil War 1861-1865
Reconstruction 1866-1878
Industrial South 1879-1913
World War I 1914-1918
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Before the Storm 1940-1941
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Modern Era Begins 1946-1959
Rebuilding Lives 1946
Kuester Dies 1948
Television 1949
Korean Conflict 1950
Changing Times 1954
Ike Visits Charlotte 1954
Ovens Auditorium 1955
Strength of One 1955
Early Integration 1956
Expansion 1956
New Libraries 1956
Right To Vote 1957
Children Lead 1957
I-85 1958
JFK in Charlotte 1959
Bishop "Daddy Grace" 1959
First Mall 1959
Turbulent Times 1960-1979
80s Charlotte 1980-1989
90s Charlotte 1990-1999
Time Period >>  Modern Era Begins  1946 - 1959
Historical Event >>  Ovens Auditorium  September 11, 1955

Named for outspoken civic leader David Ovens, the auditorium honoring him opens. Ovens once convinced Enrico Caruso, the world-renowned opera singer, to perform in the Queen City. Caruso claimed he had never sung anywhere smaller than Charlotte! The 2,600-seat auditorium adjoins the Charlotte Coliseum, the world's largest unsupported concrete dome. In later years, the coliseum will be known as Independence Arena.

Ovens Auditorium
Ovens Auditorium




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