Advanced Search
Most people come to call it the Jacob's Ladder School, nick-named for the outside stairways that criss-crossed the wooden building. Its official name is the Myers Street School, Charlotte's first graded school for black children.
From Charlotte's street corners, Philip L. Lance sells peanut butter and crackers. By 1926, the Lance Company will occupy a three-story building on South Boulevard.
Until now, firefighters in Charlotte have been volunteers. Two companies are white, one is black. Now, local elected lawmakers, called the City Council, create the town's first professional fire department. The four firemen who are hired each earn $25 per month.Horse-drawn steam engine
February 22, 1890 - Inventor Thomas Edison dines at the home of Edward Dilworth Latta, for whom the new Dilworth neighborhood is named. Soon, Latta will hire Edison's company, General Electric, to develop Charlotte's electric trolley line.
Electric-powered streetcars have made it possible for families to move to suburbs beyond Charlotte's downtown area. Now, the city has nine streetcar lines, with cars displaying billboards that encourage families to buy homes in new neighborhoods. Buy a home in Dilworth for rent money!
The Ford Motor Company in Charlotte produces 85 cars each day. The factory, which opened in 1915, will operate until the 1930s. There will also be a Ford repair shop in the 200 block of North College Street, operated by Doc Crowell and W.G. Frye.
October 19, 1923 - Efird's Department Store opens on North Tryon Street. The Efird family had operated the Charlotte Mercantile Company since the turn of the century, but now boasts it is the only store south of Philadelphia with escalators.
In a boarding house on East Boulevard, author Carson McCullers is at work. She will win national acclaim when her novel, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, is published in 1940. McCullers is one of many writers who spend time in Charlotte during their careers.
Even though the country is in the midst of a terrible economic downturn, the performing arts survive. The Charlotte Symphony Orchestra is founded. It will be followed in 1948 by the city's opera company.
June 4, 1941 - Many Southern cities still have rules, called blue laws, that prohibit certain activities on Sundays.
The first section of Interstate 85 opens in Mecklenburg County. The super-highway will link the Charlotte to Atlanta, Durham, and other important business centers. By the time construction begins on Interstate 77, the Queen City's future as a fast-growing economic hub will be assured.
August 27, 1956 - Independence Boulevard opens, replacing unpaved sections of Stonewall Street. As the massive roadway links the east and west sides of Charlotte, it cuts through Second Ward, home of many of the city's black families.
February 28, 1960 - On a half-mile dirt track at the Charlotte Fairgrounds, 22-year-old Richard Petty wins his first race. He will go on to become the winningest driver in the history of stock car racing, known as NASCAR.
October 15, 1974 - Nationally, Charlotte becomes known as the city that made integration work. School children write letters to Boston's newspaper, the Globe, and share their stories.
January 25, 1965 - A dynamite blast destroys the car that belongs to Julius Chambers. Luckily, he is not hurt. Chambers is the attorney who recently filed legal action against the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School Board on behalf of the Swann family. He will be the target of violence again.
Since the 1950s, south Charlotte businessmen have dominated local politics. Now, neighborhood groups and others work for district representation. This new method of structuring the voting districts gives black citizens an opportunity to elect members of their own communities to public office.
March 15, 1986 - The Afro-American Cultural Center opens. It is located in the old Little Rock AME Zion Church on the edge of the First Ward neighborhood. The center sponsors theater, art and exhibitions that celebrate the African American history of Charlotte.
February 14, 1987 - No longer will the Charlotte Observer refer in print to the center city as downtown. From now on, the largest daily newspaper in the Carolinas will use the term uptown as a way to help civic leaders promote the upbeat, positive attitude of the Queen City.
November 4, 1988 - The Bugs are alive at the Hive! In their first game, 23,338 fans swarm into the new coliseum as the new NBA team, the Charlotte Hornets, play the Cleveland Cavaliers.
December, 1990 - Three hundred local school volunteers are honored as Points of Light, President George Bush's award that recognizes the contributions of ordinary citizens. Through the Charlotte-Mecklenburg program, 90% of students that have been tutored or mentored have been promoted.