I give you greetings of neighborly cheer and submit a heartfelt thanks for all of you who help make our neighborhood click and connect. We have some fun surprises this issue which include an interview by Debbie Rubenstein with a neighbor who may be the oldest living continuous resident of Elizabeth! There’s also a letter from ECA prez Peter Tart. But wait, what’s this I hear? Rachel Eldridge is leaving the ECA! From the race to the egg hunt and the ECA minutes, the
ECA would like to thank Rachel for all her contributions to the neighborhood. We’ll dearly miss you, Rachel. Since Rachel is moving to Cotswold, we need a new ECA secretary. Please consider Helping out as Rachel did. If you have any questions please contact her at reldridge@ thompsoncff.org and find out how much fun it is to be part of ECA.—Big E a.k.a. Hardin Minor, the ECA figurehead front cover: Hawthorne Methodist Church; back cover: Oakland Avenue rooftops; photos by Peter Tart
ECA BOARD 2006 deadline for summer 2006 newsletter: Friday June 9th see page 16 for details Elizabeth online: http://elizabethcommunity.com name
address
work tel.
e-mail (home or work)
Peter Tart
1517 E. 8th St., 28204
372-4147 petart@carolina.rr.com
ECA prez / zoning committee
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?
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?
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committee
Jean Galloway 2101 E. 5th St., 28204
377-3936 jgalloway@firsttrustnc.com
ECA treasurer
Linda Nash
1921 E. 9th St., 28204
342-5293 NashMan99N@aol.com
social committee / block captain
Terry Lett
2107 Greenway Ave., 28204 377 0052 terrylett@bellsouth.net
social committee
Brad Miller
1812 E. 8th St.,28204
432-0458 bjmiller@ci.charlotte.nc.us
traffic committee / block captain
Babak Emadi
725 Clement Ave., 28204
334-1648 babak@urbana-architecture.com
zoning, trees, community development
John Shurley
2342 E. 7th St., 28204
344-0445 jshurley@insightarch.com
zoning + festivals committees
Tony Miller
1515 Sunnyside Ave., 28204 377-8500 millerarchitecture@msn.com
zoning committee
Roxie Towns
1512 E. 8th St., 28204
342-1000 janeroxi@bellsouth.net
zoning + beautification committees
Kris Solow
2109 E. 5th St., 28204
806-4456 ksolow@carolina.rr.com
beautification committee
Ruffin Pearce
2121 Greenway Ave., 28204 331-4989 rpearce@wcsr.com
zoning committee
JoAnn Brown
1615 Elizabeth Ave., 28204
523-2446 JoAnn.Brown@asmnet.com
business representative
236-4286 print_it@bellsouth.net
membership committee
Dianna 2222Greenway Ave., 28204 Desaulniers
the people pages
The prez sez by Peter Tart, ECA Community Association President With the Elizabeth Community Association membership drive underway and now that spring is here, we all have a renewed opportunity to reassess why living in this community is so beneficial and unique. Our good fortune arises from several sources, not the least of which is our residents and their willingness to get involved and help direct the course of the neighborhood’s future. Also critical to maintaining a very livable environment are the rich textures and character of our buildings, with the lush tree cover left to us by those early, insightful developers of the neighborhood. As good stewards of our inheritance we should remain diligent and proactive in directing the positive course of growth within, and possibly across our border into adjacent communities.
the extended community of Charlotte benefits too. To maintain the uniqueness that is Elizabeth, it is imperative that you get involved in community activities, whether at the organizational level, specific activity levels or, at the very least, by providing ideas that may enhance the livability of our community. The ECA sponsors a variety of events, activities and services throughout the year, and the success of these gatherings depends on resident volunteers to develop and execute them. The following are scheduled for the remainder of the year, and your participation will help ensure their successes. At the very least you’ll have a great time meeting and getting to know your Elizabeth neighbors.
beautification projects
landscaping and maintenance Trolley path off 7th Street, traffic circle on 8th Street, annual spring clean-up day. social activities
8k road race March 25th Easter egg hunt Coming prior to Easter – look for information flyer soon. progressive dinner Scheduled for May – Maya Packard is organizing. annual meeting and covered dish dinner Scheduled for September. Needs organizer. Elizabeth Homes Tour Fall – Terry Lett is organizing. Needs all levels of volunteers.
ART!ELIZABETH Arts festival intended ECA newsletter for fall. Need interested Quarterly – always seeking volunteers: contact Matt Ipsan. images, stories and perspectives matthewipsan@yahoo.com relative to life here in Elizabeth. A rich and colorful community winter holiday gathering See the back page of this issue benefits from diversity on Just prior to the December for advertising and submission all levels. The residents holiday season. guidelines and deadlines. of Elizabeth are students, ECA block parties teachers, health-care workers, ECA website A new addition to the annual construction workers, www.elizabethcommunity. activities, not yet scheduled. professionals, local business com – currently considering a Organized by Dianna owners, etc. and collectively makeover to ensure currency. Desaulniers form a valuable source for ideas Elizabeth blog and levels of participation When renewing your Under the Watertower – www. as well as experience. This membership, please include eliza-blog.blogspot.com – a multitude of perspectives your volunteer preference. great way to foster debate, post contributes to the growth Thanks, and I hope to see you commentary and participate in of Elizabeth, and the entire at the ECA meetings at the timely communication. community benefits from the Hawthorne Center, 6:30 every results. Not ony that, but 2nd Tuesday of the month. community information
the people pages
– it was just wooded and there was a small little stream that ran right down the middle of it that we played in. Last fall I interviewed Harriett Myers Park was built but Harlan, a neighbor who has Eastover was developed later. lived in Elizabeth for over 80 years and in her current home All these roads, you just went a since she was 8. We sat on her few blocks and you were out in porch as she potted pansies and the country. Out here on 7th street, just beyond the railroad she told me how Elizabeth has grown and changed. Our conversation ambled over a pleasant two hours and I have had to omit many of her best stories. If you want to hear them, stop by with a pot of flowers and a willingness to listen and you are sure to hear a treasure. Debbie: When your family moved to Elizabeth, was it considered close to the center of town or did it seem far out? Harriett: Oh, it was far out. As I remember, (pointing to the corner of 5th and Ridgeway) that was the last fire hydrant in town. There was no Kenmore and there was no Laurel. That was all woods back of us. bridge, there was a great big There was a great big weeping tree in the middle of the road willow tree in the middle of the and the road went one on each lot across the street with the side of it. When my mother was two rental houses. learning to drive, that’s where Independence Park up across she would go because she Hawthorne was built – that’s didn’t know how to turn so she an old one. There was nothing would go there and turn around from Hawthorne back this way the tree.
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Debbie: You went to what
is now called Elizabeth Traditional for school, right? Harriett: Yep. And so did my son. It was in a dreadful old building that smelled. When I was about in 4th or 5th grade they built a new building. The bottom floor was supposed to be the auditorium and the upstairs was supposed to be a sixth grade classroom but they already had enough room for the sixth graders so we were the only 5th graders in the new building and we thought we were something. Debbie: Where did folks go to do other kinds of shopping? Harriett: Downtown! There was nothing except downtown. It was quite an event. It was nice. I remember Belk’s caught on fire when we were living on Park drive and we could see the glow of the fire from our house. Daddy went down to see what was burning and we found out what it was and I was heartbroken because it was around Christmas time and all the toys were being burnt up and where was Santa Claus going to get his toys? Debbie: Do you miss having retail downtown? Harriett: Oh yes. That used to
photo of Harriett Harlan by Debbie Rubenstein
Reminiscing with Harriett Harlan by Debbie Rubenstein
be so much fun. We used to go downtown and the thing to do was to have lunch at the Tulip Room at Ivey’s and then look at the old settlers cemetery out there and then shop, go from one store to the other and we just loved it. My motherin-law loved to go shopping. I would take her down and leave her in Woolworth’s and go do what I had to do and come back and she would have seen everything in that store and was happy as she could be. Park Road shopping center was the first shopping place outside of downtown and that was built when Daddy died in ’61. It wasn’t until South Park was built that the big retailers moved out. Debbie: You left Charlotte when you were 14, after your mother died and then you and your father returned several years later. Was the neighborhood as you remembered it? Harriett: Oh no, it was all grown up! Greenway was here when I left but they had built Kenmore and Laurel when we moved back. 7th Street had changed. It used to have nice old houses on it. By the time Frank, my son, was growing up those houses had either become businesses or were torn down. Chantilly was all new – I just couldn’t get over that. Never could find my way around Chantilly too well. There were lots of shops down on Elizabeth Avenue and you
could go there and get things. There were fabric shops and a bank and more. You had your filling stations and your shops that knew you. There was a filling station next to Showmars and that’s where I always went and said I have a flat tire or whatever. There was the theater on Elizabeth, and Andersons’ had moved across the street. Debbie: Were any of your childhood friends still in the neighborhood? Harriett: A lot still owned their homes but they rented. The fire station on Laurel wasn’t there when I left Charlotte but it was there when I came back. I sometimes have to call for an ambulance and they always send a fire truck. One time I had to call and the firemen got there first. One of them asked, “Do you want me to take the dog out?”And he did. He got the leash and let him out to go wee, then put him back in the crate and came over to the ambulance and said “He’s all taken care of, and he’s doing fine.” They’re just as nice as they can be. For a long time we didn’t have any children in the neighborhood but they’ve come back. Its nice. Debbie: Did you ever consider moving to a different house or neighborhood? Perhaps after you married? Harriett: No. For a while my husband was working in Salisbury and home on
weekends so it was nice to be here with my father because he would have been here by himself and so would we. It was also so nice for Frank, my son, and Daddy. He and Frank were great buddies. Frank is built just like him. Debbie: Did Frank end up going to the Elizabeth school just as you did? Harriett: Yes, and he had the same third grade teacher. Also, his first grade teacher on the first day of the school wanted to know if we were related to any of the Harlans in Dilworth. I said yes, that was my husband’s family. She said, “Well, I’m so glad I’m getting to teach this one. I taught several of the Harlan children over in the Dilworth School.” Debbie: Did you hear about it if Frank got in trouble at school? Harriett: Oh they thought he was a little angel! I could not convince them otherwise. I’d go in for a conference and they would say, “He’s such a wonderful boy,” and I would say, “You don’t know. He’s got a temper!” And they would say, “No, not Frank.” No, he was captain of the patrol that directed the kids outside the school and they thought he was a little doll. They didn’t know the same one I knew. (laughing) Debbie: Thank you for your time, Mrs. Harlan. It was a pleasure to talk with you. the people pages
Scrap Metal by Cal Watford, transcribed by Agatha Belvin
brought to our front yard, and when we had a big pile, a man from the Charlotte Observer came out and took our picture. During the early part of the My sister Ruth was on the Second World War, Mother, top of the pile holding an old Daddy, and my sister Ruth dressmakers form. and I lived in Charlotte, NC, There’s a picture of the pile at 624 Lamar Avenue. Lots of and Ruth somewhere in an things were beginning to get old photo album. I think in short supply, and everyone was encouraged to collect scrap her husband Charles Cox in Huntsville, Alabama has it. We metal. There were places you could drop it off, or if you had really felt like we were helping to defeat the enemy. a lot of it, arrangements were made for a truck to come and Another war memory was the pick it up. days the training planes would In the local schools, a program fly over and drop small bags of white lime on the street was set up to reward the children for collecting primarily intersections. I guess they were dropped by hand. It may have tin cans. We would go to all the neighbors who didn’t have been flour, but that would have been too wasteful, and some children and ask them to save food was being rationed. their cans for us. Both ends of the can were cut out, the My daddy was a neighborhood ends placed in the cans and warden, and when we had then they were mashed flat. practice blackouts he had to We would take them to school walk around the block and and a record was kept as to make sure no lights could be how much in weight you had seen coming from the houses. collected. You were promoted I remember he had a helmet in military rank based on what and a special flashlight that you collected. The rank went strapped to his chest. We from Private to General. It was were so proud of him. Good lots of fun; I don’t remember memories. what rank I was rewarded, but I know it was high up there. You A stroll along the trolley path were given an arm band that by Debbie Rubenstein showed your rank. At one time, we decided to have a neighborhood drive to get more scrap. We scoured all the garages and basements. Houses with attics were searched, and it was really interesting what turned up. All the scrap was
the people pages
Pirate’s alley. That’s what my four-year old daughter calls the narrow arched walkway that edges between houses and connects 5th, Greenway and 7th streets. Some days it becomes a secret passage
or an escape route for spies. To historians, however, it is the trolley walk, a footpath that once led to the Elizabeth Avenue trolley stop on 7th Avenue. With light rail reemerging as a possible option for Elizabeth Avenue, I wanted to learn more about how our neighbors used to commute to their downtown offices. There was a horse and mule drawn trolley system operating in Charlotte, and along Elizabeth Avenue as early as 1887. The first electric streetcar began operating in Charlotte in 1891 and the Elizabeth line began about 10 years later in 1902. It ran from East Trade and McDowell along Elizabeth and terminated at what is now Presbyterian Hospital. By 1912 the line was extended and split with one portion heading across Hawthorne to 4th and down to Queens College and the other heading the opposite direction on Hawthorne and then down 7th and out towards Central. This coincided with the development of the Rosemont section of Elizabeth and with the development of Myers Park. In 1913, as Rosemont grew, the scenic path was planned as a short cut for those heading to the trolley and downtown from the middle of the long block adjacent to Caswell. Though the walk was envisioned as a public property, the city refused ownership and so it continues to be owned by the private homeowners whose property
trolley pic from www.cmstory.org/exhibit/legacy/#TrolleyDays
abuts the walk. It enabled all the residents of Rosemont to be within a two block walk of the streetcar line. By 1938, the streetcar lines had all ceased operating and most of the cars were sold for scrap. The path, however, remains a living and often used link to this past and a reminder of the connections between our transportation choices and the lives of our neighborhoods. Special thanks to Dan Morrill, The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Library and The CharlotteMecklenburg Historical Landmarks Commission for their invaluable help in assembling the information in this article. Springtime tours feature historic Elizabeth by Rachel Eldridge Walk back in time and discover some of Charlotte’s rich early 20th century architectural
for a 1-hour walk. Among the highlights will be the home of noted Jewish author and Civil Rights activist Harry Golden. Here’s the complete schedule. For information and reservations call 704 333 1887 extension 240. May 4th Fourth Ward Hidden Parks and Gardens led by Levine Museum of the New South May 11th Historic Charlotte Awards Dinner at the VanLandingham Estate May 18th Historic Elizabeth led by Levine Museum of the New South heritage. Levine Museum of the May 20th Tour de Charlotte Bicycle New South, Historic Charlotte Tour led by Historic Charlotte and Charlotte Trolley are and Bike Charlotte co-sponsoring walking tours May 25th Historic Plaza Midwood of trolley-era neighborhoods led by Charlotte Trolley on Thursday evenings in May and early June. Each tour June 1st Historic Dilworth led by begins at 5:30 pm and lasts Charlotte Trolley approximately 1 hour, leaving Homes Tour thanks you plenty of time to sample a by Terry Lett, Elizabeth Homes neighborhood eatery on your own afterward, if you like. Cost Tour coordinator 2006 is $8 for adults, $7 for seniors, The Elizabeth Community and $5 for members of the Association and The Elizabeth sponsoring organizations or Homes Tour Committee would groups of 10 or more. like to say thanks to all our residents and businesses. The Elizabeth will be the focus of Elizabeth Homes Tour 2005 the tour on May 18. Explore was again a great success and it one of Charlotte’s earliest would not have been possible streetcar suburbs with Tom without great people like you, Hanchett, author of the Charlotte neighborhood history our neighbors. Sorting Out the New South City. Now it’s time to gear up for this Meet in the parking lot of St. year’s annual fund-raiser, and John’s Baptist Church (just we’re asking for you help. We’re off 7th Street on Hawthorne seeking home owners that Lane at 5th Street) at 5:30 would like to participate in this the people pages
Fall event. The date is still to be determined but it’s usually the first or second weekend in October. We would also love to have your help as a volunteer during the weekend of the Homes Tour. Please contact Terry Lett at 704 377 0052 or terrylett@bellsouth.net WANTED exterior door 34’’x 84’’x 1 3/4” 9 lite prairie or 15 lite call Mike 704 375 2124
Progressive dinner by Maya Packard Mark your calendars for Elizabeth’s 2006 progressive dinner on May 6th. Never been to a progressive dinner before? Here’s how it works: join about 200 of your neighbors at one lovely home for drinks and appetizers in the garden. Then split into groups of 8-12 and move to a different home for dinner, which you will have helped prepare using a recipe provided for you. Let us know if you’re wary of cooking, and we’ll go easy on you. The whole gang will reconvene for desserts and much socializing at another large home. This is a great way to get to know your neighbors and see some of the beautiful homes in our neighborhood. Watch your front step for a flyer with more details. Anyone who lives, works, or owns a business in Elizabeth is welcome to attend. We do need about 20 host homes for the dinner portion of the evening;
the people pages
if you would be willing to open your home to 6-10 of your neighbors, please contact Maya Packard at mpackard@carolina. rr.com or 704 334 2196. Hosts don’t have to cook the meal, but they do provide drinks, bread, and either an appetizer or a dessert. If you’d like to attend the dinner as a guest, please contact Lisa Pearce at lisapearce@mindspring.com or 704 333 8181with your name(s), street address, phone number, and email address.
restored original auditoriums in the CMS system and perhaps the most spectacular view of our city skyline. Drop in sometime, meet their Principal Mr. “G” and enjoy your tax dollars being well spent! Support your bike patrol by Kris Solow
We’re fortunate to have a full-time police bike patrol in our neighborhood. There are five officers on a rotating shift that provide a near daily presence on the streets of Tall Tales at Elizabeth. Their visibility is Elizabeth Traditional reassuring and makes them Elementary School very approachable. These by Hardin Minor officers work outside in all but Parents of students at at the most extreme conditions. the Elizabeth Traditional The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Elementary School received Police Department has limited a grant from ARTSTEACH to funding to provide clothing bring in a guest artist (me) and equipment for their bike to inspire and direct the first patrol units, leaving them graders in physical expression. to seek outside resources. I’ve been guiding them Our neighborhood and through the techniques of neighborhood businesses transforming themselves into have a unique opportunity giants, polar bears, dragons, to show our support for heroes and villains in order to the bike patrol officers in more effectively perform their our district, the Providence original collaborative Tall Tales, Division, by providing funding a state-mandated curriculum to supplement the bike component. We’ve explored patrol’s equipment budget. stillness, shapes, improvisation, The Elizabeth Community ‘sparking’, illusion, conflict, Association has agreed to details, characters and match donations by the possibilities. Pretty heady stuff community up to $2,000. for the youngsters but they’ve Individuals who want to been working effectively while contribute to this worthy cause we keep it fun! can make checks payable to Nobles and Burnette Police ETES is a beautiful old school that was recently renovated. It Benevolent Fund. Please note has one of the most wonderfully on your check that it’s for
the Providence Division Bike Patrol Unit. Checks can be mailed or dropped off to Kris Solow, 2109 E. 5th Street, Charlotte, NC 28204.
race day photo by Peter Tart
I’m home by Jennifer Cline No man is an island. —Howard Thurman We all need to find some sense of community in our lives. Isolation is not healthy. I’m thrilled to have found community in the Elizabeth neighborhood. I’ve lived in Charlotte for 6 years and have been dreaming of living in Elizabeth for all of those years. When we first moved to Charlotte we bought as close in as we could afford. We ended up in south Charlotte in a home that was built in the 70’s. You felt like donning bell bottoms and doing the hustle when you entered the kitchen. After blood, sweat, and tears, we fixed up the house. Not long after we were done, a friend of mine told me about a house in Elizabeth across the street from where she lived. It wasn’t on the market, it was empty, she had a key, it needed work. 24 hours later we had our house on the market. Almost 6 months later and many ups and downs of failed contracts, inspections and so on, we’ve arrived. We’re slowly settling in, selling furniture, sorting out the details of going from a 4 bedroom house to essentially
a 2 bedroom house. It’s cathartic. I love using every inch of my house – it’s cozy. I walk around thinking “who lived here before? What were their joys, their sorrows?” From the glass doorknobs to the hardwood floors, casement windows, arched doorways and butler’s pantry, I love it. My daughter complains about sharing a bedroom with her little brother, but I hear them talking in the morning, and hear her read bedtime stories at night. Most of all though, I love the sidewalks. My children are on their scooters every chance they get. We count cardinals as we walk to school, and sit in front of the Commonwealth Market eating ice cream as
the sun warms our faces on a recent winter afternoon. This has been my dream. I can now park my car and be with my children on foot. It’s liberating. Despite the smaller house, I feel as if our world has expanded. I’m home.
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