Charlotte is becoming the gold mining capital of the U.S. President Andrew Jackson signs the law authorizing Charlotte as a site for a branch of the U.S. Mint, so coins can be made here without transporting the gold to a Mint far away. Congress will allow $50,000 to be spent for the site, building and machinery. Architect William Strickland will design the Classically-styled building on West Trade Street. Gold is now valued at $20 per ounce. It will be worth nearly $400 per ounce, 20 times more, by the 1990s.