Charlotte Mecklenburg Library

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1790 - Rural Hill

Major John Davidson builds a brick mansion house called Rural Hill in northern Mecklenburg County. He owns 26 slaves. Most of Mecklenburg's farmers have none. Only the owners of large estates, called plantations, can afford to buy, transport, feed and shelter slaves.

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1781 - Beginning of the End

Dozens more battles have been fought throughout the Carolinas, Georgia and Virginia. But the British have made a serious mistake. They have assumed that Southerners who are still loyal to the Crown will help them easily defeat the American army. Their strategy fails as the South continues to fight for independence.

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1803 - Louisiana Purchase

All of the land from the mouth of the Mississippi River in Louisiana, north to Canada and west to the Rocky Mountains -- 828,000 acres -- becomes part of the U.S. The Louisiana Purchase will be the largest expansion to the country's boundaries at a cost of $15 million, or about 3¢ per acre.

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1780 - Battle of McIntyre's Farm

October 3, 1780 - Dwindling supplies force Lord Cornwallis to send a foraging party out into the Mecklenburg countryside. Three hundred British troops make their way up Beatties Ford Road toward the Hopewell Presbyterian Church. They meet fierce resistance at McIntyre’s Farm from a band of fourteen local men led by Captains Thompson and Knox. The British troops flee back to the safety of Charlotte and the British headquarters at Thomas Polk’s house. (Legette Blythe and Charles Raven Brockman.

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1791 - Washington's Visit

May 28, 1791 - George Washington, who has promised to visit all of the states, arrives in Charlotte. People have lined up for hours to catch a glimpse of our nation's first president. Washington dines with Thomas Polk, and calls on prominent citizens. While staying at Cook's Inn, he leaves behind a powder box, which contains the white powder used to adorn the wigs worn by both men and women. But he is most remembered for describing Charlotte as a trifling place.

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1609 - In Search of Land

Virginia settlers push their way southward into the Nansemond River Valley and Albemarle Sound region thus opening the doors for settlement in the colony known as Carolana.

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1771 - First College

Queens College opens to train young men who will become ministers. But there will be problems when King George III refuses to grant the charter which will approve the school's operation. Later, the school's name will change to Queens Museum and will be followed by Liberty Hall.

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1775 - Mecklenburg Resolves

May 31, 1775 - Since all laws imposed by England are suspended, the 27 signers of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence hurriedly meet again. They draft the Mecklenburg Resolves, which are new laws that will govern the now independent Mecklenburgers. Even those who doubt the existence of the Meck Dec cannot deny the Mecklenburg Resolves.

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1670 - Inland Explorations

English explorer James Lederer encounters the Catawba Indian tribe in Mecklenburg County.

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1755 - Founding a New City

Thomas Spratt and his family are believed to be the first settlers to drive a wagon through the rough backcountry of North Carolina. Between the Yadkin and Catawba rivers, they cross an Indian trading path. With them is Thomas Polk, who builds his home where these two roads meet. One day, this crossroads will be known as the Square. It will become the center of modern downtown Charlotte, and the streets will be known as Trade and Tryon.

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