1896 Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence Celebration

The following article depicts the 1896 Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence festivities in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The Mecklenburg Times 5/21/1896 p.8 

20TH MAY IN CHARLOTTE AN OFF YEAR IN THE CELEBRATION LINE. BUT LARGE THRONGS OF VISITORS HERE-SELLING THE WOMEN’S EDITION-THE BICYCLE PARADE-MABEL KAUFMAN WINS THE PRIZE-BICYCLING AND BASEBALL The 20th of May opened bright and warm and the streets at an earlier hour put on a holiday appearance. There was a great many visitors in the city and the town people turned out in force. There was a lack of decoration and brass band music, but it was the glorious 20th, and the people were happy. A feature of the morning was the appearance on the streets of squads of newsboys selling the Woman’s Edition of The Charlotte Observer, issued in honor of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence under the auspices of the Woman’s Auxiliary of the Young Men’s Christian Association. It is a very handsome paper of 20 pages. On the title page appear cuts of Miss Sallie Whisnant, business manager; Miss Adele Brenizer, circulation agent; Miss Eva Liddell, advertising agent, and Miss Laura Wadsworth, illustrator, the portrait of Miss Mamie Bays, editor and chief, occupying the centre of the page. The Historical department is edited by Miss Lilly W. Long; Association and Auxiliary, by Mrs. G. B. Hanna; Religious, by Mrs. Frank Mahan; Wit and Humor, by Mrs. T. S. Franklin; Art and Music, by Mrs. R. E. Cochrane; Manufacturing, by Mrs. C. C. Kennedy; Women in Profession, by Mrs. John Vanlandingham; Temperance, Mrs. Robert Gibbon; Education, Miss Eugene Davis; Household, Mrs. J. W. Miller; Children, by Mrs. G. W. Tillett; Literary, Miss Josephine Davidson; Bicycling, Mrs. Ranson Gray. There are a number of very excellent contributions to these departments and the paper is a credit to the women of Charlotte. The wheel cut quite a figure in Charlotte, the parade in the afternoon, showing what the town can do in that line and not half try. There were four hundred and twenty wheels in line. The parade was headed by Mr. Arnold Shaw and Miss Adelaide Case on a double wheel under a gaily decorated umbrella for two. The girls of the Shaw Bicycle Club were next in line, and behind them came Mr. Thornwell T. Gilmer and Miss Madge Wadsworth on a handsomely decorated double wheel and the Gilmer Bicycle Club, followed by Mr. Albert Summey and Miss Elizabeth Clarkson, on a double wheel canopied and decorated. Mr. W. J. H. Weddington carried a gilded hornets nest in the procession. As the parade passed the Buford Hotel it was reviewed by the judges, who awarded the prize for the best decorated bicycle to Miss Mabel Kaufman, of the Shaw club. The prize is a bicycle lamp. Miss Maggie Shaw, of the Gilmer club was awarded second prize. Miss Lottie Gray received third prize.   THE BICYCLE RACES The bicycle races begun at 4 o’clock and were as follows:

• One mile, novice, won by Charles Spenolia, 3.06. P. H. Williams, second; Will Beaman, third, fell while on home stretch.
• One mile, Championship of the South, Schade first 2.31; McMackin, second; Riley third.
• One mile handicap: Schade first, 2:20 1/2; Charles Spenolia second; Will Beaman 3rd. Ruppert fell.
• One-half mile, boys: Ed McDonald, first; John Gordon, second. Labe McDonald, third.

  BASEBALL One of the most interesting games of the season was that played at the park that morning between Columbia and Charlotte. There were over eight hundred spectators present and each and every one was on the “whoop” for his respective players. Both teams did poor work until the third inning, when the teams stood three and three, then it became evident that it was to be a very closely contested game. In the third inning a ball was batted over in the left field on a fly home running the ball came down near the fence, and Moore of the home team started after it. He caught the ball on the fly, but in so doing, ran into the fence and hurt himself very badly, but rather than show weakness, he played the game out. It was without a doubt the leading feature of the game. In the fourth inning, the home team shut the Columbia boys out, but when the Charlotte boys came to the bat, they made five runs, which placed the score at 8 to 3 in Charlotte’s favor. The rest of the game was until the eighth inning very slow, but the score stood 9 to 9, the Charlotte [Columbia?] boys were determined to win, but they had to be shut out by the home team, when the Charlotte team took the lst bat. They scored a run which placed us one ahead. Below is the score of the game: Columbia, 102013200-9 Charlotte, 012500011-10 Batteries-Columbia: Camel and Webster. Charlotte: Harrill and Merchant. Umpire: Riley.