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History Timeline

1711 - Lawson's Violent End

September 16, 1711 - There are bitter arguments between the Indians and white settlers over hunting and trading practices. Englishman John Lawson, who surveyed and wrote about North Carolina a decade previously, is killed in the eastern part of the state by a tribe of Indians called the Tuscaroras.

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1767 - Land Grants

Jan. 15, 1767 - Lord Augustus Selwyn agrees to sell 360 acres of land to Abraham Alexander, Thomas Polk and John Frohock. Since there is no American currency yet, the price is determined in British units of money, called pounds. The price for the land is 90 pounds. The land lies where the future downtown Charlotte will flourish.

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1740 - Rural Settlers

The rivers of the Piedmont are difficult to navigate from outside areas, and this interior region becomes known as the Backcountry. Swiss and French settlers from Charleston, South Carolina slowly begin to make their way here. They join the English settlers.

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1700 - The Lawson Expedition

English surveyor John Lawson travels north and west from coastal Charleston, South Carolina, by way of the Santee, Wateree and Catawba rivers. Roads are still 50 years away. His voyage takes him 1,000 miles as he maps the rough terrain. Soon, English rulers will decide where they want colonists to settle.

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1763 - Love for a Queen

February 1, 1763 - From the western section of Anson County, a piece of land is set aside to form a new county. It is called Mecklenburg County, in honor of King George III's wife. Her name is Charlotte Sophia of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, and the county is named for her homeland in Germany. Later, the city itself will be named for Queen Charlotte. A law passed in the previous year made the changes effective as of February 1, 1763.

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The 1957 Saint Patrick's Day Parade

'Twas a Great Day for The Irish of All Nationalities

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03/16/1957