[ Itinerary ]
[ Tour Guide ]
[ Related Sites ]
[Charlotte Chamber of Commerce]
[ Start ]
[ Walk Tour ]
[ Directions ]
[ First Presbyterian Church ]
[ Itinerary ]
[ Tour Guide ]
[ Related Sites ]
[Charlotte Chamber of Commerce]
[ Walk Tour ]
[ Directions ]
[ First Presbyterian Church ]
Charlotte is a crossroads town. You are standing
at the crossroads. This intersection has existed for thousands of
years, long before the first white settlers began to arrive in the
mid-1700's. It is the reason that Charlotte exists. It was here that
countless generations of Native Americans passed by on their way to the
mountains to the west or the coastal plain to the east. It was here
that Thomas Polk built his imposing house and had the log courthouse
erected for the new county seat in 1768.
The courthouse was right out in the middle of the intersection, and
Polk's house stood nearby. It was here that the Mecklenburg
Resolves and the alleged Mecklenburg
Declaration of Independence were signed in
May, 1775. It was here that William R. Davie and a small band of
patriot militiamen stood on September 26, 1780, and fired upon the
British army and its Tory allies as they marched up South Tryon Street
and occupied the town.
It was here that General Nathanael Greene assumed command of the patriot army from Horatio Gates on December 3, 1780.
The Square is Charlotte's historic heart. Sadly, slaves were sold at
this spot before the Civil War. In the 1830's and 1840's, gold miners
walked through the Square and headed for the U.S. Mint building that
used to stand at the intersection of West Trade Street and Mint Street.
Confederate president Jefferson Davis and his cabinet came to the Square
on their flight southward after the fall of Richmond to the Yankees in
April, 1865.
Standing in the midst of Charlotte's gleaming skyscrapers it is
sometimes difficult to appreciate how historic the Square is. By the
way, many people wonder why Charlotte was not built on the banks of the
Catawba River, which runs along the western border of Mecklenburg. The
reason is simple. The Catawba River was not continuously navigable in
this region, so roads, not waterways, were the more efficient means of
transportation. That's why Charlotte is a crossroads town, not a river
town. That's why the Square is Charlotte's historic heart.
Continue the walking tour by walking along the northern side of West Trade Street. The arrows in the map will show you exactly where to go. Each stop on the tour has a corresponding number on the Walking Tour Map. To your right just after crossing Church Street is First Presbyterian Church . Walk into the church yard and gaze at this grand, majestic structure that looms before you.
If you are not up to taking a walking history tour, let's head to the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce. It's a good place for first time visitors to pick up relocation information.
Directions
[ Top of Page ]
[ Itinerary ]
[ Tour Guide ]
[ Related Sites ]
[Charlotte Chamber of Commerce]
[ Walk Tour ]
[ Directions ]
[ First Presbyterian Church ]