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Reconstruction 1866-1878

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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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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1867 - A University is Born

April 7, 1867 - Mrs. Henry Biddle of Philadelphia contributes $1900, and Colonel W.R. Myers donates land west of Charlotte. Together, they help the Presbyterian Church establish Biddle Institute, a school to train black ministers. A Pennsylvania widow named Mrs. J.C. Smith donates $700,000 in her husband's memory in the 1920s. Then the school's name will change to honor him: Johnson C. Smith University.Biddle Hall

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1877 - Craighead-Huntersville

March 9, 1877 - First called Craighead in honor of an early Mecklenburg patriot, today the town of Huntersville is incorporated. A catalogue boasts new schools, fresh air and climate of the town, and invites families to settle in Huntersville, where an acre of good land can be purchased for $50.

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1867 - Union Soldiers Leave

December 18, 1867 - Union forces who have been stationed in Charlotte finally depart. The city's residents have cooperated with the federal troops. Although no battles were fought in the streets of Charlotte, Union raids took place at nearby Salisbury, Fort Mill (South Carolina), and Gastonia. There will be a national cemetery to mark where several thousand Union troops died while imprisoned at Salisbury.Confederate Prison

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1878 - First Hospital

A group of Episcopal women led by Jane Wilkes begin St. Peter's Home and Hospital. It is the first civilian hospital in North Carolina. Although St. Peter's will become part of Charlotte Memorial Hospital in 1940, its building will remain standing at the corner of Sixth and Poplar streets. Fashionable condominiums will occupy the building more than 100 years later.

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1868 - A New Constitution

July 4, 1868 - North Carolina is accepted back into the United States of America. As part of the agreement, the state now approves, or ratifies, the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. Blacks are now granted the same liberties white citizens have enjoyed, including the right to own property. The 15th Amendment would later address the right to vote.

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1869 - Keep the Presses Rolling

At least four newspapers were circulated during the Civil War era. Some were used to promote a particular idea or point of view, a practice called propaganda. Charlotteans now get their news from the Daily Charlotte Observer. It will be followed in 1886 by a competitor, the Charlotte Chronicle, and the old Observer will cease to exist. Industrialist D.A. Tompkins and editor J.P. Caldwell will buy the Chronicle in 1892 and change its name to the Daily Observer. It will evolve into the modern-day Charlotte Observer.

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