The Square
“The Square” is the oldest intersection in the city. It’s at Trade & Tryon Streets. This is how it looks around 1900.
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Turn of the 20th Century: Life in Charlotte 1900 - 1910
Homes and Housewares
Beautiful homes, such as the Robert Miller Home, seen here, once lined the streets of Uptown Charlotte. This is where the elite classes resided before moving out into the suburbs. The vast majority of people live in more smaller homes. Working class people in the mills lived in villages often owned by the owner of the mill. This is a scene from the Hoskins Mill Village.
Labor Unions
In the early 1900s, there were twenty labor unions in Charlotte. One hundred years later there are only twelve unions.
American Federation of Labor Central Labor Union
Bartender’s League No. 211
Bricklayers & Masons Lodge, No. 3
Brotherhood of Painters, Paperhangers and Decorators Union, No. 329
Carpenters and Joiners Union, No. 558
Charlotte Printing Pressmen & Assistants Union, No. 41
Charlotte Typographical, Union No. 338
1905 Charlotte
In 1905, Charlotte has:
3 Car Dealerships
6 Stables
41 Secret and Benevolent Societies
15 Saloons
20 Drugstores
14 Restaurants
34 Boarding Houses and 8 Hotels
34 Fire Alarm Boxes
7 Dairies
13 Newspapers
Feathers, Ribbons and Bows: The Art of Making Hats
Many, many hours went into making a hat such as the one this lady is wearing. At this time, hat makers or milliners decorated their creations with feathers, fake and real flowers, berries, leaves, and even stuffed birds. Ladies would purchase a basic hat and the more accessories requested for the hat, the higher the price.
Corner Grocers
There are over 150 grocers, bakers, and butchers listed in The Charlotte City Directory in the early 1900s. Every neighborhood in the city has its own corner grocer.
The Berryhill Grocery Store in Fourth Ward (Today, the building is the Alexander Michael's Restaurant at 401 W 9th St.)
North on Tryon
Looking north on Tryon Street, you see buildings that vary in architectural styles. Most of them are just a few stories high. Electric street cars are the main form of public transportation. The city was decorated for the May 20th celebration of 1909 and the distinguished guest was President William Howard Taft.
Beneath the Garments
Beneath Everything Else They Wear…
Banking
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 is King
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.
