Charlotte Mecklenburg Library

You are here

Home

Nation: America 1782-1819

1800 - City of Churches

From now through the 1840s, Mecklenburg's churches will grow and become firmly established. Not only Presbyterians, but Baptists, Methodists, Episcopalians, Lutherans and Catholics will form congregations.

Date of Event:

1803 - Gold Fever

French and Spanish explorers who find gold or other riches must give their bounty to the rulers of their home countries. But when Americans find valuables, what they find belongs to the property's owner, not the government. Not far from where Conrad Reed discovered a 17-pound gold nugget four years earlier, other large rocks containing gold are found. They weigh from eight pounds up to 16 -- but the biggest is 28 pounds. Other North Carolinians will become wealthy when they discover gold, and much of the precious metal will come from Mecklenburg County.

Date of Event:

1814 - Mecklenburg County Soldiers

While none of the War of 1812's battles have been fought near their home, Mecklenburg County sends five companies of men to help Andrew Jackson fight the Creek Indians in Alabama. When the men, commanded by Col. Joseph Graham, arrive, they discovered Jackson has already defeated the Creeks.

Date of Event:

1819 - Life in the Backcountry

A new invention called an iron cook stove promises to modernize the American kitchen. But most Mecklenburgers will still use fireplaces to heat their homes and cook, since wood is cheap and plentiful. Kitchen chores are strenuous. There are heavy pots to lift and hang over the fire. Food for winter must be salted, pickled or dried to prevent spoilage. Visitors may bring delicacies such as oranges, chocolates, or spices from Charleston, South Carolina, where goods arrive by ships from foreign countries. But such expensive luxuries are uncommon in Charlotte.

Date of Event:

1800 - A Growing County

The population of Mecklenburg County reaches 19,400. There are more than twice as many people living here now as there were just 14 years ago, even with the loss of the Cabarrus County acreage and population in 1792.

Date of Event:

1790 - Backcountry Hardships

Even after the hardships of the war years, peacetime life is not easy. Food spoils quickly. The only refrigeration comes from springhouses, small buildings cooled by underground springs of water. Doctors know little about the causes of illness. The treatment for fevers, coughs or other ailments is bloodletting: A doctor will drain up to a pint of blood from a person who is ill. It will be many years before physicians will discover that bloodletting does no good and often harms a patient.

Date of Event:

1814 - Star-Spangled Banner

Poet Francis Scott Key watches as British bombs rain down on Baltimore's Fort McHenry. All night long the attack continues, but by dawn's early light, something incredible happens. As the smoke clears, Key can see that the American flag is still flying above the undefeated fort. He scribbles down a poem that will be set to music. The song will become The Star Spangled Banner, the national anthem.

Date of Event:

1804 - Paper Money

The Revolutionary War has been over more than 20 years. But many Americans still buy and sell goods with the British money that was in use before the war. Now, coastal North Carolina banks in New Bern and Cape Fear issue American paper money, or notes, printed on silk paper. Many people don't trust the new money.

Date of Event:

1786 - Charlotte

The population of Charlotte is 276. The city is home to a flour mill, saw mill, and rifle factory. Merchants, tailors, weavers and blacksmiths serve the growing community. About 9,000 people make their homes in Mecklenburg County. By the turn of the century, that number will more than double.

Date of Event:

1807 - Tensions with Great Britain

Great Britain and France are violating trade agreements with the U.S. Both countries seize American ships. Although some of the captured American crew members were born in Britain, they now declare themselves U. S. citizens. Britain ignores their claims, and impresses, or forces, them to serve the British Royal Navy.

Date of Event: