Charlotte Mecklenburg Library

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Antebellum Days 1820-1852

1822 - Epidemics

Disease continues to claim the lives of the settlers. Vaccinations and cures for cholera, malaria, measles, smallpox and typhoid are years away. Charlotte's physicians, Dr. McKenzie and Dr. Caldwell, visit the sick. Most people believe that illness must be removed from the body, so doctors will cut a vein and bleed a patient. Many people die from these procedures.

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1830 - The Iron Horse

The first steam locomotive built in the U.S, The Best Friend, serves Charleston, South Carolina. It will be more than 20 years until the railroad tracks stretch all the way to Charlotte, North Carolina.Railroad Map

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1831 - Cedar Grove Plantation

James G. Torrence builds Cedar Grove, a grand home near Huntersville, next to the Torrence family store north of Charlotte. Like so many Mecklenburgers, these pioneers are descendants of English and Scottish people who moved to Ireland before they came to America. They are called Scots-Irish. The Torrence family has owned several thousand acres of land since the 1770s. The Torrence store is believed to be the oldest that exists in Mecklenburg County.Cedar Grove Plantation

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1837 - US Mint in Charlotte

 January 19, 1837 - President Andrew Jackson appoints John Wheeler Hill the first manager, or superintendent, of the Charlotte branch of the U.S. Mint. Men hired to make coins attend special training at the Mint in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. When the Charlotte Mint opens, the superintendent's salary will be $2,000 per year. The chief coiner will earn $1,500 per year. The men who melt, refine and analyze, or assay, the gold will earn $1,000 per year.Gold Coin

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1840 - Raw Deal

The Treaty of Nation's Ford devastates the Catawba Indians, many of whom live along the border between North and South Carolina. South Carolina agrees to give the tribe $5000 to buy 300 acres of mountain land in Haywood County, N.C., then $2000 per year for five years. North Carolina refuses to give the tribe any money until the Catawbas actually give up the disputed land and leave. Many of the tribe will be left poor and homeless.

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1849 - California, Here I Come!

Gold, discovered one year ago in California, entices fortune seekers from all over the U.S. to flock to the western territory in a gold rush. These hopeful prospectors are called forty-niners. Even President James K. Polk, a Mecklenburg County native, tells Congress he believes the California gold rush will lead to great wealth. No longer is North Carolina the only place to look for gold.

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1820 - Cherokees and Catawbans

West and southwest of Mecklenburg County live the Cherokee Indians. During the Revolutionary War, many Cherokees helped fight for the British. Catawba Indians closer to Charlotte often fought for the Americans.Sequoyah (Cherokee)  

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1830 - Indian Removal Act

Congress passes the Indian Removal Act. The U.S. government can now force tribes off their land. President Andrew Jackson supports the Act.

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1822 - School for Young Ladies

The Charlotte Female Academy opens. Miss Leavenworth teaches young ladies not only academic, or literal, subjects, but those such as needlework, called ornamental subjects. Tuition is $6 to $11 per term.

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