Charlotte:struggling to keep our identity (Canton, Liberty: camping, living in, store)

[mullman]

I can look up the details, but one my relatives was a NC law man in 17xx who was shot and killed by Indians.
His grave is outside Salisbury, I have a picture of it here somewhere, the grave still stands.

NO, NC history did NOT start in 1861...

I visit my wife's family regularly and sure they might have 1620 Plymouth Rock [descendants], but NC had plenty of 17xx history...

[mullman]

Originally Posted by ChelleC

Beautiful pictures. I love black and white photos. I lived in Rockwell during the prior administration (when I was married) so I am familiar with Gold Hill. I have never been to the village, but drive through Gold Hill on my way to Badin to the Drive-in theater there. My son (just turned six) loves it.

I know Danny (and son) of Danny's Place and attended many a family wake at the funeral home in Rockwell (on 52).

I ate at Darrell's BBQ last week on a motorcycle ride!
It is one of my absolute fav BBQ joints!
Awesome, yet nearly secret. SShhhh.

[anifani821]

Originally Posted by mullman

I can look up the details, but one my relatives was a NC law man in 17xx who was shot and killed by Indians.
His grave is outside Salisbury, I have a picture of it here somewhere, the grave still stands.

NO, NC history did NOT start in 1861...

I visit my wife's family regularly and sure they might have 1620 Plymouth Rock [descendants], but NC had plenty of 17xx history...

It sure does have plenty of 1700s history. I think people forget that the Lords Proprietors were hanging out here at the same time Virginia was being settled, LOL. NC's history is not like that of other Southern states (altho I do find some parallels w/ Virginia's history) Sometimes it seems there are only a handful of people here in Charlotte who are trying to preserve it, teach it and share it, tho.

I just finished up my lineage to one of my Patriots. Working on #2 and thinking about #3. And I was reading some Meck history and I am ashamed to admit - I had never really paid any attention to the fact that Mecklenburg Co was one of the first counties formed in western NC. But what astounds me most is that the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence was signed on May 20, 1775; making Mecklenburg County (formed in 1762) the first region in all of the Thirteen Colonies to declare independence from Great Britain. Because the document has not survived, the history has been questioned, but regardless of speculation, we know without doubt that Meck was a deeply patriotic county.

But does anyone hear about this? And does anyone realize what this says of the fiercely independent individualists who came here and formed what we now know as Charlotte? Until the last 20 years, the majority of people who lived here were descendants of those early settlers. And attitudes and belief systems have been handed down through generations.

If people don't know Meck's history, they cannot really understand how this region developed and why we are who we are today. There are traditions worth preserving. That fiercely independent spirit that earned our nickname, "the Hornet's nest," is one of them.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by anifani821

What I object to is the ignorance I hear/read from newcomers in regard to NC natives, NC history, and and how that relates to Southern history. People who move here know little or nothing about this state's history. To understand why this region has the charm it does (or did have) is to first understand the very things we are LOSING - our history and ties to that history. The stereotypes overshadow the reality.

I will state it again - people seem to think this state's history started in 1861, and it didn't!

It is probably a good thing that you like NC being referred to as a mid-Atlantic state, b/c it is only going to take one more generation and western NC is going to have nearly lost - if not completely lost - anything unique, singular or even interesting that set this region apart from the rest of the USA and yes, the South. But no one will care b/c the majority of people moving here want GENERIC.

I have lived "generic." Where I lived in the midwest was truly as generic as it gets. Why? Because it was NEW! Many areas of the midwest do not have much more than 100-150 years of history. Much of the land is still wide open in many states west of the Mississippi. This means whole new towns can be developed w/ beautiful straight roads and neatly laid out neighborhoods. There are no trashy areas b/c no one has been around to trash them up. I loved it! But it was amidst those pristine greenways and perfectly laid out squares that made up neighborhoods that I suddenly discovered what it meant to be a Southerner, a person w/ long family roots in one region, and who can see the timeline from 1603 to 2009 as one seamless evolution, wh/ seems to have been interrupted by newcomers who have arrived and want to wipe it all out.

Generic.

If you don't understand what I am talking about - join the group. We have 2/3 of our residents who have moved here and I daresay at least 60% (and maybe 95%) don't care if they learn a thing about this region other than where they can buy the biggest house for the lowest price, what their taxes will be, how to avoid mobile homes and being asked what church they attend, and when the roads will be fixed, the schools will be "better," mass transit will be more robust and where to go to find good Italian food.

In 25 years, people will come here and they will say "NC is such a nice mid-Atlantic state. Charlotte is so convenient. Depending on where I am in the area, I look around and think - This could be a burb of Philly, or Albany, or Newark, or Chicago, or Boston, or New Haven. We love it here. Except for the weather, you would never know we were in the South."

LOL, Ani, I swear that the problem goes back to when the schools eliminated having history classes. At least I think that that's part of the problem.

Well, I'm one of the minority. I'm new to the area & plan to be tracking places & records from my family from the 1700s.

Unfortunately, I guess I have to wait for low water to see James Mendenhall's mill at the bottom of High Point Lake.

Actually, I see similarities to the MidAtlantic. Also, there are a couple of accents that are nearly identical to a couple of accents in the Philadelphia area.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by anifani821

It sure does have plenty of 1700s history. I think people forget that the Lords Proprietors were hanging out here at the same time Virginia was being settled, LOL. NC's history is not like that of other Southern states (altho I do find some parallels w/ Virginia's history) Sometimes it seems there are only a handful of people here in Charlotte who are trying to preserve it, teach it and share it, tho.

I just finished up my lineage to one of my Patriots. Working on #2 and thinking about #3. And I was reading some Meck history and I am ashamed to admit - I had never really paid any attention to the fact that Mecklenburg Co was one of the first counties formed in western NC. But what astounds me most is that the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence was signed on May 20, 1775; making Mecklenburg County (formed in 1762) the first region in all of the Thirteen Colonies to declare independence from Great Britain. Because the document has not survived, the history has been questioned, but regardless of speculation, we know without doubt that Meck was a deeply patriotic county.

But does anyone hear about this? And does anyone realize what this says of the fiercely independent individualists who came here and formed what we now know as Charlotte? Until the last 20 years, the majority of people who lived here were descendants of those early settlers. And attitudes and belief systems have been handed down through generations.

If people don't know Meck's history, they cannot really understand how this region developed and why we are who we are today. There are traditions worth preserving. That fiercely independent spirit that earned our nickname, "the Hornet's nest," is one of them.

The Regulators in NC played a role in the settlement of Georgia.

[NYC1DAY]

a less southern charlotte = a better charlotte

[anifani821]

Originally Posted by NYC1DAY

a less southern charlotte = a better charlotte

And that would be because of . . . what? What does Southern mean to you? What stereotype? What overly simplified version of Andy and Barney or Gone With the Wind?

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by anifani821

And that would be because of . . . what? What does Southern mean to you? What stereotype? What overly simplified version of Andy and Barney or Gone With the Wind?

I was wondering that, too, Ani.

[NYC1DAY]

^ for the two posters above

if charlotte is less southern then it means that it is getting bigger because of transplants.

as a city grows it opens better jobs, diversity, more entertainment, more shopping, better nightlife, etc

if the city keeps growing they might get a mlb team

right now i think the charlotte metro has around 2.2 million.

currently, it is to small for me. i like metros around 6 million

not everyone likes big cities though. so maybe you guys dont want this

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by NYC1DAY

^ for the two posters above

if charlotte is less southern then it means that it is getting bigger because of transplants.

as a city grows it opens better jobs, diversity, more entertainment, more shopping, better nightlife, etc

if the city keeps growing they might get a mlb team

right now i think the charlotte metro has around 2.2 million.

currently, it is to small for me. i like metros around 6 million

not everyone likes big cities though. so maybe you guys dont want this

What in the world does that have to do with the price of tea in China?

As an example of the topic of this thread, Philly & it's metro area has a very strong 18th century identity. Most of Charlotte's 18th century buildings are long gone.