By 1900, the O'Donoghue School was the oldest private school in Charlotte. It was established on August 27, 1887 by the Sisters of Mercy. It was first called St. Mary's Seminary. This school was for children whose parents wanted them to receive a Catholic education. In 1905, the school moved to a larger building at 531 South Tryon Street, and changed its name to the O'Donoghue School after the school's benefactor, Dr. Dennis O'Donoghue.
Below are things you would have seen in 1900. The date beside each item indicates the year it was invented.
French Fries - 1700s by Thomas Jefferson
Bicycles - 1790
Graham Crackers - 1829
Lawn mowers - 1830
Chewing gum - 1848
Sewing Machines - 1851
Elevators - 1853
Dynamite - 1866
Cracker Jacks - 1872
Mail Order Catalogs - 1872
Ketchup - 1876
Telephones - 1876
Toilet Paper - 1880
Coca Cola by John Pemberton - 1886
Basketball - 1891
◾ First Time Events
◾ New Words
◾ Cost of Living
◾ Things Familiar
◾ Things Unknown
◾ Winter Wonders
◾ Holiday Gifts
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Beneath Everything Else They Wear…
Banking has always been very important to Charlotteans. A good financial center enables small businesses to grow and attracts other businesses to the area.
American Trust Company, 222 South Tryon Street - Chartered 1901. Capital: $300,000.
Charlotte National Bank, 109 E. Trade Street - Chartered January 1897. Capital: $125,000, Surplus and Undivided Profits: $60,000.
Cotton was a major cash crop in Mecklenburg County. To harvest the crop in the early 1900s, farmers hired temporary laborers to handpick the cotton Some of the cotton would be pressed for the oil in a cotton press like this one.
The Belk Brothers Department Store began in Monroe, North Carolina. On September 25, 1895, the brothers opened their biggest store up to that time on 119 East Trade Street in Charlotte, North Carolina where they established their permanent headquarters.
