1916- Parade

The Charlotte News 5/20/1916, Sec. 2, pages 1, 12

PARADE IMMENSE – MILITIA, FLOATS, IN LONG LINE  

Packed Streets Greeted Marchers as They Moved from Morehead to Square, Thence to Reviewing Stand.  

Pageant of Military Excelled Anything of Kind Seen Here in Years – Other Sections of Parade – The Event Fitting Prelude to President’s Appearance.  

Moving up from South Tryon street between a packed mass of humanity on either side, the Twentieth of May parade this morning stretched from Morehead street to Independence Square, and the various companies of militia, the bands and the floats and automobiles, were woven into a most spectacular picture as the long line made its way through the city, covering nearly 30 city blocks in its march of over two miles, finally passing in front of the reviewing stand on North College street, where President Woodrow Wilson and distinguished members of his party, and other prominent visitors to the city, together with many thousands of people, watching with keen interest the passing of the pageant of military and other distinguishing features.  

Forming the Line.  

By 9 o’clock this morning the section of the city bounded by Vance and Stonewall and Church and South Boulevard was unusually alive with the many units of the parade assembling for the formation and the line-of-march through the city and by the official reviewing stand. In every lateral street and out East Morehead and on South Tryon below Morehead, and on East Morehead the participants in the parade waited in order for the official command to move forward, and as the word was passed along the parade headed by the militia, Adjutant General Young and his staff, and other officers, began its movement up South Tryon street towards Independence Square.  

In the line were companies from Richmond, Va., from the first, second, and third North Carolina regiments, all in fine trim and exhibiting a most military precision in their step and order of march, and many a patriotic sentiment was called into being at the sight of the fighting men, the “first line reserve of Uncle Sam,” who stand ready at a moment’s notice to go to the front in defense of their country wherever they may be called. The sight of the soldier boys hundreds strong in the line-of-march, was an inspiring and patriotic stimulus to every spectator, and many cheered while veterans of other wars who remembered their own experiences, felt that the soldier boy’s lot is not always one filled with perpetual glory.  

The militia made a striking appearance and every one of the thousands along the line-of-march felt a peculiar pride in the sight of the men in khaki and military uniforms as they filed past to the step of martial music or the drum.  

Following the military part of the parade came the veterans of the civil war, men from North Carolina and Virginia, and these attracted no less interest and attention, and were freely cheered as the aged veterans stepped past, keeping up with the march of their younger fellow-soldiers in the long line.  

The Boy Scouts also bore a strikingly military appearance and in large numbers they went past in the parade, and many a spectator wondered if these young fellows would ever be called on as volunteers to fight for their country or would step up and take the places of the national guardsmen.  

Students from Davidson College and hundreds of members of fraternal orders in the city and section filed past next in order, many of these baring the insignia of their orders or other paraphernalia, and making a splendid appearance in the parade today.  

Other outstanding features of the parade were the Gastonia drum corps, boys’ and girls’ agricultural clubs, corn clubs and many others, including a great delegation of Mecklenburg youths and maidens, and many creditable formations were seen in the line.  

The private automobile section of the parade, which fell in line from out Morehead street, made up an important part of the parade and many exclamations of surprise were heard as the gaily and handsomely decorated cars went slowly by the vantage point of the spectator.  

The township floats and the individual farm floats as they wended their ways past, made every Charlottean and Mecklenburger feel proud of his country, for these floats exhibited a variety of richness of products from the country about Charlotte that makes the section stand out preeminently as one of varied agricultural productions and means.  

The industrial floats, representing manufacturing, business, retailers, and many other lines of industry in Queen Charlotte, came towards the close of the parade. These floats appealed to Charlotte folk and the eyes of many were opened wide as they viewed the signs of the varied industries which the city now enjoys and the extent of the manufacturing and other enterprise as it has been developed in recent years here. This section was a very creditable and attractive one, and at the same time revealed to visitors that Charlotte is moving industrial as never before.