Charlotte Mecklenburg Library

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History Timeline

1882 - A Military Institute

September 11, 1882 - Finally, tax disputes that have lasted seven years are resolved and Charlotte's Military Institute can enroll its 480 students.

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1913 - Successful Crackers

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. The company that began by selling its products door-to-door will offer its snacks from thousands of grocery store shelves for generations to come.

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1905 - Roosevelt Visits

October 19, 1905By the time President Theodore Roosevelt visits Charlotte, the town has begun to transform itself into a New South city. It boasts cotton mills, its first suburbs, an electric trolley system, colleges, a concert hall and a library. Roosevelt visits Mary Anna Morrison Jackson, widow of Civil War hero General Stonewall Jackson, and applauds Charlotte's abounding prosperity.Mrs. Thomas Stonewall Jackson

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1900 - Cast in Iron

Charlotte Pipe and Foundry opens. The business will thrive, and become so successful in decades to come that it will claim itself the oldest cast iron and pipe business in America.

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1897 - The Fourth Mecklenburg County Courthouse

The Fourth Courthouse, designed by architect Frank Pierce Milburn, . . . was located at 301 South Tryon Street (on the same property where Queens College had been established in 1771). The main entrance had an open portico surmounted by a large dome. The Independence Monument graced the courtyard in front of the Courthouse. from Courthouses of Mecklenburg County, 1766-2007 (Mecklenburg County, 2007)

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1834 - First Bank

The First Charlotte Bank opens. But not everyone in Mecklenburg needs a bank. During the first 50 years of U.S. history, settlers in the rough wilderness, or backcountry, have had little use for money. Many people trade for what their families need. A lucky few have discovered gold on their land.

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1865 - Mrs. Jackson in Charlotte

Now that the Civil War has ended, refugees find their way back home. Mary Anna Morrison Jackson takes up residence in a spacious house shaded by oak trees on Charlotte's West Trade Street. Mrs. Jackson is a war widow. Her husband, Confederate General Thomas A. Stonewall Jackson, died from wounds he suffered at the battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia.Mrs. Stonewall Jackson's home

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1861 - North Carolina Joins the Confederacy

May 20, 1861 Six weeks ago, the battle of Fort Sumter marked the beginning of the Civil War. Today, North Carolina secedes from the U.S. and joins the Confederacy, becoming the 10th of 11 states to do so. This date is special for another reason. It marks the 76th anniversary of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence, which proclaimed Mecklenburg's independence at the time of the Revolutionary War.

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1841 - Public Education

<p>North Carolina received 1.5 million in surplus U.S. government funds. This money would be&nbsp;used to start the state&#39;s public school fund. On this date, the&nbsp;<em>Mecklenburg Jeffersonian</em>&nbsp;reported that the school board, formed that year, had divided Mecklenburg County into&nbsp;76&nbsp;school districts. Once school buildings were located in each, the county would be entitled to draw her quota of money.</p>

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1842 - Union County

Ever since Mecklenburg was created from Anson County in 1762, the two have shared a border. Now, that border changes. Union County is created by joining a southeastern section of Mecklenburg and a western section of neighboring Anson counties.

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