The Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) in Charlotte started on November 11, 1874. It moved into this stunning gray building at 206 South Tryon Street in 1888. The YMCA remains here until 1908 when the second YMCA, the building in the second image, opens at 330 South Tryon Street.
On May 9, 1909 an article appeared in the Charlotte Observer announcing the opening of Lakewood Park, an amusement park on May 15th. Located about 3 miles northwest of Uptown Charlotte, the lake & dam were originally created by the Southern Power Company to cool the power transformers. It measured 600 feet wide and 3,960 feet long.
Back in the day, everyone in the county celebrated on May 20th, the day the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence was signed. We have been doing so since 1825. It is to honor the men who signed the declaration in 1775. Throughout this week in May there were eating contests, races, patriotic bands and orators. This postcard captures how the town decorated during the 1908 celebration.
The first passenger train arrived in Charlotte in 1852. The second passenger depot was the Southern Railroad Depot that was designed by Frank Milburn in the Spanish Mission style. It was built in 1905 and was located at 531 West Trade Street. A railroad crew posed for this photograph in front of their locomotive.
The turn-of-the-century saw the arrival of a new invention, the automobile and the truck. Some were powered by electricty while other inventors experimented with steam power. In the end, gasoline soon became the major source of fuel for cars and trucks. Although there were just a few dealerships in Charlotte in the early 1900s, this new way of transportation quickly became popular. Soon horse driven wagons, carriages and buggies disappeared, a long with livery stables, blacksmiths, and saddle makers.
The turn-of-the century and the automobile brought about an end to livery stables as they quickly became replaced with automobile garages. Thomas B. Hoover is driving one of his carriages. His livery stable was located at 233 Wast Trade Street. (By 1911, the address changed to 239 East Trade Street.) Most families have their own horse and carriage or they rent them from one of the eight local stables.
The Central Hotel started out as a tavern in 1840, by 1900, it was a four-story hotel with an elegant dining room. Located at the southeast corner of the Square (Trade and Tryon Streets), it also featured the Gem Restaurant, which enabled working men to grab a quick lunch.
Approximately fourteen businesses in Charlotte sell books around the turn-of-the-century, but the two most popular stores are Stone and Barringer at 124 South Tryon Street and Brockmann's Book Store at 100 South Tryon Street.
This is an interior shot of Fitzsimmons Drugstore. There are twenty pharmacists who own their own stores throughout Charlotte. Fitzsimmons was at 126 South Tryon Street. Soda shops in drugstores were popular places for young people to socialize and enjoy handmade sodas and milkshakes.
