Charlotte was settled before the Revolutionary War,chiefly by Scots-Irish settlers who formed a trading town. The Great Wagon Road brought many settlers to the area. The graves of some of those pioneers can be seen today in Settler’s Cemetery behind First Presbyterian Church on Trade St. Why did they come? Beautiful, gently rolling hills, fertile farm land, abundant timber, the Catawba River, and GOLD! That’s right, the first U.S. Mint was right here in Charlotte. And, did you know that patriots in Charlotte declared and wrote a Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence more than a year before Thomas Jefferson penned the famous one? That’s right! It was commemorated by placing the date - May 20, 1775 - on the state flag of North Carolina.

 Once the city became established, textiles became an economic mainstay. But it didn’t take long for diverse commerce and industry to find its way here. Today, finance and banking are the commercial powerhouses. Following the Civil War, Charlotte began to grow and is now regarded as a showcase of the "New South".

 For the traveler, sports enthusiasts will find it a mecca. Professional football, basketball, ice hockey, baseball, and stock car racing are major draws. While the uptown region used to bustle with retail shopping, today it mostly a corporate headquarters and fine arts area. Most of the shopping moved to the suburbs with the advent of malls. However, uptown is still a destination - excellent restaurants, the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, Disovery Place Museum and IMAX Theater, Time Warner Cable Arena, and just people watching await the visitor.

 You can also experience some of Charlotte’s history at such places as Latta Plantation, The Hezekiah Alexander House built in 1774, and you can ride a vintage trolley car from South End into town. Much of Charlotte’s history centers around the centuries-old churches such as Steele Creek Presbyterian and Hopewell Presbyterian Church - organized when Charlotte was still under the British Crown. But, churches of all faiths abound in Charlotte. It was once said there are more churches per capita in Charlotte than any other city in the U.S.

Who are some of Charlotte’s notables? Author Harry Golden, Dr. Billy Graham, Country music legend Arthur Smith, Doris Duke, and many others.

For the best collection of local historical resource, make a visit to the Carolina Room at the library uptown. It also houses one of the best genealogical collections in the south.

 While some of Charlotte’s historical sites have sadly been replaced with "new growth", there are scattered homes, cemeteries, and neighborhoods that beckon those interested in the past.