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1845 - Rags to Riches

The man who sold a $3,000 gold nugget for $3.50 in 1802 dies. John Reed had lived to become one the richest men in North Carolina. It all began in 1799 when his son, Conrad, found an unusual rock on the family's property 25 miles northeast of Charlotte. The rock contained nearly eight ounces of gold, and it was only the first of many. The Reed gold mine will change hands again and again in years to come. Eventually, it will be designated a North Carolina historic site. 

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1865 - Fall of Fort Fisher

January 15, 1865 - In the worst fighting North Carolina has suffered, Union troops have attacked Fort Fisher. The coastal fort guards the mouth of the Cape Fear River. After the fort falls, Union soldiers make their way upriver and capture Wilmington. The Confederacy loses its last open seaport.

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1865 - Uncertain Future

Although the Civil War has ended, Southern military leaders will not abandon their countrymen. More than 60 officers bring their skills to Charlotte. Along with 18 lawyers, 13 doctors and five dentists, these leaders help strengthen Charlotte and insure the Queen City will survive the uncertain days of Reconstruction that lie ahead.

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1856 - Women's Education

The Charlotte Female Institute opens to educate young women. The school building at the corner of Ninth and College streets will be used in 1896 to start Presbyterian College for Women. In 1912, the school will move to a suburban campus on Queens Road in the Myers Park neighborhood.Charlotte Female Institute

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1865 - Columbia in Flames

February 17, 1865 - Columbia, South Carolina surrenders to General William T. Sherman. Early the next morning, a fire breaks out and spreads, engulfing the town. Some accuse Sherman of setting the fire, others blame drunken soldiers celebrating their victory. Also today, Confederates in Charleston begin to leave their battered city. Charlotteans fear they will be next as Sherman continues to conquer the South.

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1876 - The Honorable Zebulon Vance

Zebulon Vance, who was sent to prison at the end of the Civil War, is elected North Carolina's governor. When Jewish shopkeeper Samuel Wittkowsky learned of the order to arrest Vance, he convinced the officers that his friend was honorable and would not flee. Now Vance lives in Charlotte. He has served as governor during war and in peacetime. Soon, Vance will be elected to the U.S. Senate.

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1860 - The Decline of Slavery

Some slaves are granted their freedom, called manumission, from their owners. Local laws give newly freed blacks 90 days to leave the area. Some travel east to the coastal cities and look for work. Others move west, hoping to find land and opportunity. The number of free blacks is increasing faster than the number of slaves. Lawmakers worry that free blacks are encouraging slaves to run away from their owners, so a law is passed prohibiting free blacks from entering North Carolina from other states.Pamphlet on Slavery

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1865 - Sherman Enters North Carolina

February 22, 1865 - Columbia, South Carolina has suffered the destruction and occupation by General William T. Sherman's Union troops. Now Sherman begins to move north. The people of Charlotte brace for the attack. But the maneuver is a trick. Sherman turns east towards Goldsboro, North Carolina instead. But Charlotte's relief is short-lived. The South is losing the war.

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1876 - Latta Empire

Edward Dilworth Latta opens a clothing store in Charlotte. Soon, this South Carolina descendent of Mecklenburg planter James Latta will become known as one of the Queen City's most influential men. He begins the Charlotte Consolidated Construction Company, called the 4Cs. E.D. Latta will introduce the concept of suburbs, and develop trolley transportation that makes suburban growth possible.

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1860 - A House Divided

November, 1860 - Abraham Lincoln is elected president. He vows to end the spread of slavery and to keep the United States, or Union, from splitting apart over the controversy. But the economic impact on the South will be enormous if slavery is outlawed. Unlike the North, there are few laborers for hire to work on the South's farms. One by one, 11 Southern states will break away from the U.S.

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