NCNB (rebranded as NationsBank) and local rival First Union (later renamed Wachovia, then bought by San Francisco, California-based Wells Fargo) rode the crest of the interstate banking wave, rapidly building two of Americas largest financial institutions. Or look further to the now-suburban towns of Pineville, Cornelius, Kannapolis, Belmont, Mount Holly and Gastonia, where big brick mill buildings have been reimagined into restaurants, entertainment hubs, businesses and shops. It opened for business on July 27, 1837. Federal troops used the offices for the first few years of Reconstruction. In 1799, a boy named Conrad Reed, playing in a creek 25 miles east of the city, picked up a 17-pound rock that glittered. Charlottes progressive reputation solidified when the city became the U.S. test case for court-ordered busing to integrate schools in 1971 and again when Harvey Gantt won election as the first African-American mayor of a majority-white U.S. city in 1983. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. In 2010, the NASCAR Hall of Fame opened in a glistening Uptown building designed by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, the internationally renowned firm that includes celebrated architect I.M. Again, no evidence whatsoever exists to suggest that the inside of the buildings disrepair was due to the members of the Charlotte Womens Club ripping the walls and fixtures apart in search of treasure. Between 1990 and 2015, Mecklenburg Countys population doubled, surpassing one million residents. Well, a month prior to secession (April 20, 1861), Confederate troops had already seized the Charlotte Mint. You will find them on police officers uniforms and NBA Charlotte Hornets uniforms, among other places in town.

The so-called Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence (a series of anti-British resolutions) was signed there in May 1775. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Per a COVID-19-related Mecklenburg County health directive issued Jan. 12, 2021, please note that some businesses may have modified their hours of operation and changed procedures in order to comply with CDC and Mecklenburg County Health Department guidelines. In 1825, gold was discovered near Irwin Creek, which is now the intersection of West Morehead and Graham streets. The Tryon Street ridgeline is the reason behind Charlottes custom of calling its downtown Uptown. Head to Independence Square at the heart of the Center City; no matter which way you approach it, youll be moving gently upward. Please wear a mask, limit any non-essential activities and refrain from gathering with anyone outside of your household. Other popular locales include the Mint Museum, the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, the Knight Theater, Romare Bearden Park, Frazier Park and Brevard Court. The intersection is now known as Independence Square and the small pocket park on its northwest corner is known as Thomas Polk Park. Banking surely heads that category in present-day Charlotte. In 1931, the building was to be demolished to make room for the post office expansion next door. Questions? And yes, the Mint did reopen. The city already had robust local banks, thanks to a North Carolina law that allowed branches statewide. In June 1775, a local tavern-keeper named James Jack served as a messenger carrying important papers to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Unrecoverable. On Central Avenue, Leon Levine opened the first Family Dollar discount store, which now operates nationwide. They relocated the structure a few miles east of downtown Charlotte, to the historic neighborhood of Eastover on a plot of land donated by E.C. The city has taken on many nicknames since, including the Queen City, the QC and Crown Town. Charlotte was the centre of gold production in the country until the California Gold Rush of 1849, and a mint was located there (183761 and 18671913). All News, Articles, Commentary and Opinions are contributed by the author(s), with or without compensation, who are solely responsible for the content, and do not represent CoinWeek Management. Coins produced in 1850, '52, '55, and '59 are considered rare or very rare, and 1854 coins are nearly unattainable as only four pieces were coined.[3]. By 1835, the Charlotte area was becoming known as the gold mining capital of the U.S., and President Andrew Jackson approved Charlotte as the first site outside of Philadelphia for a branch of the U.S. mint. A new skyline sprang into being along Tryon Street, the heart of Uptown. Their demonstrations led to the opening of lunch counters to all. And Lake Wylie in South Carolina began as a hydroelectric project of James Buchanan Duke, who sold power to textile companies. The region would no longer rely on slavery and farming; like the North, it would embrace factories and urbanization. Charlotte Mint gold coins range from scarce to extremely rare. Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls and Lady Golden Bulls, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Charlotte_Mint&oldid=1047050607, Manufacturing plants in the United States, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2018, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 28 September 2021, at 19:02. Declaration of Independence) is commemorated annually at Trade and Tryon streets. Colleges possessed no monopoly on culture. The glass-roofed 1915 Latta Arcade and adjoining Brevard Court in Uptownwhere employees of Center City businesses now flock to restaurants and retail during the lunch hourhoused offices of cotton brokers. The campus serves more than 28,000 students annually today as one of North Carolinas major research universities. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. This request was denied. Polk was a state legislator, one of Charlottes founders and the great-uncle of the 11th U.S. President James K. Polk. Within 25 years, Cabarrus and Mecklenburg Counties in North Carolina were gold rush towns. Gold just sitting there in the creek bed and just underneath. What to do? Whether it's your first time or hundredth time exploring Uptown, we invite you to unlock the hidden history of the heart of the Queen City. I believe there are fewer than 30 pieces in quality About Uncirculated condition to have survived to the present day. Or head to the Levine Museum of the New South and walk through the award-winning Cotton Fields to Skyscrapers permanent exhibit to learn about the citys fascinating past from post-Civil War to today. WBT, the first radio station licensed in the South, attracted a remarkable array of country music and gospel performers who sang live over the airwaves. John asked for and received $3.50. Updates? They named the new hamlet after the Kings wife, Queen Charlotte, and gave the surrounding county the name Mecklenburg in honor of her majestys birthplace in Germany. He found gold lots of it. Duke, having been at the helm of many of the mansions renovations, was its most famous owner. This version of your browser is not supported. The rock was a 17lb gold nugget, worth about $3,600.00. Psssst the address of the Mint Museum is: 2730 Randolph Road Charlotte, NC 28207 (704) 337-2000. A major wholesale distribution point for the southeastern United States and the Carolinas metropolis, Charlotte has diversified manufacturing (textiles, machinery, metal, and food products) and is one of the nations largest banking centres. In 1982, banker Hugh McColl at North Carolina National Bank (NCNB) figured out how to buy a small out-of-state bank. Between the early 1960s and early 1980s, Charlottes population grew by more than 50 percent. Kaput, as John Reed would say. But now, as the sport became increasingly sophisticated, the high-tech engineering operations of most race teams clustered near mammoth Charlotte Motor Speedway.

As the New South dawned after the Civil War, Charlotte took offfirst as a railroad junction and then as a cotton mill hub. North of the city, elite Davidson College opened its doors to provide a liberal arts education to young white men. The documents could have been the Resolves or the Meck Dec, but its unclear. The last full session of the Confederate cabinet was held there on April 15, 1865. The pan of gold is emptied onto the head of former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan to signify the areas banking and finance industry. After the Revolution, a totally unexpected event put Charlotte on the money map. However, making gold into local money had its own inherent problems, such as accurate weighing and determining fineness. In 1799, a 12-year-old boy named Conrad Reed found a 17-pound rock about 25 miles outside of Charlotte that his family used as a doorstop for two years before it was identified as gold. Feel free to contact us here. He recently retired after 16 years as the staff historian for Levine Museum of the New South. When Charlotte was founded in 1768, the Colonies were still under British rule. Charlottes pace of reinvention began to accelerate in the late 20th century. James K. Polk Memorial State Historic Site is in nearby Pineville. Bonhams Offers Nobel Prize Medal at Pasadena Sale, Coin Profiles Proof 1825 Capped Bust Half Dollar, Heritage Showcase Auction of Mexican Coins July 24, Austrian Mint 2022 Extraterrestrial Life 25 Euro Silver Niobium Coin, Stacks Bowers to Offer Collection of Former Fed Chair Paul Volcker in Summer 2022 Showcase Auction, Notable Notes: The Lincoln Porthole $5 Silver Certificate, Struck Counterfeit Coin of the Week: 1797 S-136 Large Cent + 1-Page Attribution Guide, The Charlotte, North Carolina Mint (to handle the aftereffects of Conrad Reeds skipping Church that Sunday). Or should it be called downtown? The Mint building was not demolished. In 1933, with the intention of opening an art museum, a group of citizens purchased a building that had served as the original branch of the U.S. Mint. The Belk family built the Souths premier department store chain; Belks flagship store is in Charlotte. John agreed, and after the rock was examined and tested, the Jeweler asked the elder Reed what he wanted for the rock. By the 1920s, this part of the Carolinasfrom Greenville and Spartanburg in South Carolina to Winston-Salem and Durham in North Carolinasurpassed New England to become the nations top cotton manufacturing district. What was the citys original crossroads is now the intersection of Trade and Tryon streets: Trade named for the sites history and Tryon named after the states Colonial governor William Tryon. Now abandoned and inaccessible gold mines, like the Rudisill and St. Catherine, are scattered 500 feet underneath current-day Uptown and South End with paths extending from south of Bank of America Stadium all the way to the Bank of America building. Charlotte suddenly ranked second only to New York City as the nations biggest banking town. Charlotteans have come to love these two historical symbols that represent their beloved Queen City. His parents used it for a doorstop until a sharp-eyed merchant offered them $3.50 cash for it. The Confederacy never did much with the facility, however, and did not issue their own coins in Charlotte. A second location of the Mint Museum opened in Uptown in 2010. During the American Civil War the city was the site of a Confederate headquarters and hospital. RCA Victor and other record companies visited often. The Charlotte Mint was the first United States branch mint. Downtown Charlotte, North Carolina, viewed from Marshall Park. That New South spirit of reinvention still defines Charlotte. The Charlotte Mint issued over $5 million in gold coins over the course of nine years 1849-55, 1857, and 1859. Among these placer nuggets was found a 28lb solid gold nugget! The European settlers wanted to stay in the favor of King George III, so they named the city in honor of his wife, Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. The Assay office operated until 1913. In Jacks honor, locals and visitors can admire a statue of him on horseback galloping along Little Sugar Creek Greenway, just east of Uptown. The new era began with the civil rights movement. Following the first documented discovery of gold in the United States, the country's first gold mine was established in North Carolina at the Reed Gold Mine. The influx took many longtime Charlotteans by surprise; earlier immigration had largely bypassed this part of the South. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Cottons legacy lies behind other landscapes as well. The transportation process was difficult, slow, expensive, and dangerous; frustration with this system led to the creation of private gold coining operations in the Charlotte area.

There is no substance to the rumor that the ladies abandoned their parasols and white gloves to spend a good part of their meeting time checking every corner of the building for stray gold coins. Gold was also discovered in North Georgia in large quantities, gold that was geologically related to the North Carolina strike. In fact, no coin was ever minted again at the Charlotte, North Carolina Mint. Tradition holds that there was even a full-blown Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence created on May 20, 1775. It opened a 60-story skyscraper in 1992, the Souths tallest building at the time. bustles with activity. They received no response until three years later when the United States Treasury began to investigate private coining operations and recognized North Carolina's need for more federal coinage.[1]. A Brookings Institution report named Charlotte a Latino hyper-growth city in the 1990s, ranking it fourth in the nation. Please update your browser for the best user experience. Whether you're in town the weekend or just looking for a little fun to https://t.co/4Ih8Xt1USI. This is a cruel and unsubstantiated rumor. Charlotte, city, seat (1774) of Mecklenburg county, south-central North Carolina, U.S. In May 1861, North Carolina seceded from the Union. [1] In 1873, the General Assembly of North Carolina petitioned Congress to reopen the mint at Charlotte. A gold miner symbolizes commerce. Among Uptowns towering skyscrapers, youll see many banks and financial organizations, including Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Truist Financial, Fifth Third Bank, Regions Bank and Ally. Construction was finally completed in October of 1846, and the first coins since the fire were produced in that month. A South Tryon sidewalk plaque marks where Bill Monroe, the Father of bluegrass music, cut his first discs in 1936.During the late 1930s, more records were made here than in Nashville, Tennessee. It connected Charlotte with Columbia, South Carolina, where existing tracks transported goods to the port of Charleston, South Carolina. In May of 1775, Polk along with several other citizen leaders led efforts to cut ties with Britain, resulting in the creation of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence and the Mecklenburg Resolves. In November, 1835, Levi Woodbury, Secretary of the Treasury, was notified by Samuel MeComb that he had purchased from William Carson and F. L. Smith a full square containing 4 acres of land for $1,500.00, which is now the 400 block of West Trade Street. In 1852, local investors in Charlotte and upstate South Carolina succeeded at completing the first rail line to enter the heart of the Carolinas. Although there isnt physical proof of its existence, its city tradition to celebrate the Meck Dec each year on May 20. Upon its purchase in 1933, the building was deconstructed, moved and reconstructed on Randolph Road, where it opened in 1936 as The Mint Museum of Art, North Carolinas first art museum. New South prosperity aided educational opportunities. In 1936, it was dedicated as the Mint Museum of Art, the first art museum in North Carolina. Youll recognize the name in Duke Energy, one of the largest electric power companies in the U.S., which is headquartered in Charlotte. Charlotte looks like a brand new city, but theres a lot of history here. Interestingly enough, Tryon Street does not align to the compass, as in many Colonial towns. Longtime merchants insisted it had always been Uptown, and in a Sept. 23, 1974, resolution, City Council officially declared it so. Everyone, myself included, vigorously denies that the museum employees can be found searching under the floorboards for coins while visitors like you are looking at really cool beads, baskets, artwork, and reference books. As Charlotte broke into the ranks of top-20 U.S. cities, major league sports arrived. 2022 Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority. In the spring of 1831, North Carolina merchants and miners petitioned Congress for a branch mint in the Charlotte region to reduce the risk of transporting gold. Cooks Inn (President George Washington was a guest in 1791) and Col. Thomas Polks homeplace were located at the intersection. It had been constructed in 1837 Uptown to handle gold ore. During the Civil War, the Mint had been converted into a Confederate and headquarters and hospital. Have you ever wondered why Charlotte defies most other cities by calling downtown Uptown? Why the NBA teams mascot is an angry hornet? During the American Revolution the town was occupied (1780) by Lord Cornwallis, who received such hostile treatment he dubbed it the hornets nest of rebellion (now the citys official emblem). In the mid-1700s, what is now Uptown was the site of a Native American trading path that ran southeast from Georgia northwest up to the coast of Virginia. The courthouse, Capt. When early settlers went to the emerging town center, they were always going up, so what may have started as Im going up to town, evolved to Im going Uptown. Today, if you take a walk toward the center of Uptown at Trade and Tryon streets, youll notice that you are moving slightly uphill from any direction. Meanwhile, the U.S. imported gold from Britain and other countries and paid a fee for doing so. University of North Carolina, Charlotte, North Carolina. The Mint Museum of Art, housed in the old U.S. Mint building, features European and American art, period costumes, and pre-Columbian and African artifacts. For three years the rock was a doorstop.

A total loss. Charlotte blossomed as the trading city for the region. That coin alone has a value as high as all the other coins combined, but occasionally one of the five comes to market. Crusading dentist Dr. Reginald Hawkins led a march from JCSU to City Hall demanding total desegregation. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. (2010) 731,424; CharlotteGastoniaRock Hill Metro Area, 1,758,038; (2020) 874,579; Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia Metro Area, 2,660,329. They turned it into an art museum featuring Native American, European, and African art. In 1780 during the American Revolution, General Cornwallis arrived in Charlotte with his British army. A coalition of private citizens acquired the structure from the U.S. Treasury Department in 1933. No word on what they may have been smoking. He bought a farm in Cabarrus County in North Carolina, married, and had children: one of whom was Conrad. And in nearby Wilkesboro, North Carolina, a hometown hardware store grew into mega retailer now known as Lowes. Late in the Revolution, British General Cornwallis swept into townand soon wished he hadnt. A citizens group purchased the building from the U.S. Treasury and moved it to its present location on Randolph Road in the city of Charlotte.

Griffith. Today, it is one of Americas largest banking centers and one of the nations fastest-growing metropolitan areas. While most newcomers arrived from across the nation, a growing number came from around the globe. Learn how your comment data is processed. Later that year, $2 quarter eagles were minted, and 1849 production started on a small gold dollar. Tryon, the citys main street, still carries the name of North Carolinas Colonial governor William Tryon.