11 minute read
Remembering Black Historical Sites
Black Historical Sites in Charlotte:
Remembering and Preserving the Past
By John Burton, Jr.
According to the National Register of Historic Places, only two percent of their 95,000 entries focus on the experiences of African Americans. Sadly, this narrative seems to hold true for many of Charlotte’s Black historical sites. Much of the Queen City’s rich Black heritage is vanishing, leaving very little for many to understand about the troubles and triumphs of our ancestors, wiping African American efforts out of public view. The fight to preserve Black historical sites in Charlotte and throughout the U.S., signals a raising of voices by African-Americans to declare the value we place on our history and the historical places we inhabited and often created.
Here are 8 existing Black historical sites in Charlotte
Mecklenburg Investment Company
Built in 1922, the Mecklenburg Investment Company Building was a key structure in Charlotte’s Brooklyn neighborhood that housed Black businesses, professional offices, civic and social organizations. It was funded by and named after the Mecklenburg Investment Company, an investment group made up of leaders in the Brooklyn community. Its purpose was to support Black businesses.
Pearl Street Park
Pearl Street Park, located across Kenilworth Avenue near the Metropolitan Complex at 1200 Baxter St., is known as the first Negro playground and first AfricanAmerican park in Mecklenburg County. A little more than six acres, the park was an important social gathering place for Black families. It served as the athletic field for the football and baseball teams at nearby Second Ward High School. The city of Charlotte purchased the park from Thompson Orphanage in 1943. In 2005, the Charlotte Mecklenburg Black Heritage Committee dedicated Pearl Street Park as the first African American Park in Mecklenburg County. Visitors can listen to stories about the park and learn about its historical importance at an audio history station located in the park.
Mecklenburg Investment Company building, located at 233 S. Brevard Street in Charlotte
Pearl Street Park is located at 1200 Baxter Street in Charlotte The Excelsior Club, 921 Beatties Ford Road, Charlotte
The Excelsior Club
Founded in 1944 by the late Jimmy McKee, the Excelsior Club was once a seven-room house on Beatties Ford Road. The club beame a longtime center of social and political activity. At a time when racism and Jim Crow laws kept Blacks out of whites-only establishments, the Excelsior hosted famous musicians such as James Brown, Nat King Cole and Louis Armstrong. McKee, an AfricanAmerican bartender at a club for white members, opened the Excelsior Club when he recognized that Black people in the area needed a gathering place to socialize. The club operated as a members-only business and shortly after opening, it became one of the major cultural attractions for Black professionals in the city. Membership included doctors, educators, politicians, lawyers, and prominent businessmen.
The Cherry Community
Developed in 1891, Cherry is one of Charlotte’s oldest neighborhoods. In the 1900s, Cherry was home to the working class — farmhands, factory workers and railmen. Homeownership increased by almost forty percent from 1905 to 1925. Cherry’s Black population has dwindled from 66 percent in 1990 to only 37 percent by 2015. Most of its original homes and landmarks have vanished.
An old photo of the Grand Theater
Photo courtesy of the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library
Alexander Slave Cemetery
Photo courtesy of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission
First United Presbyterian Church is located in the First Ward neighborhood
Photo courtesy of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission
The Grand Theater
The Grand Theater, located at 333 Beatties Ford Road, opened in 1937. It served as one of the only sources of public entertainment open to African Americans in Biddleville, the oldest surviving predominantly Black neighborhood in Charlotte, during the Jim Crow era until its closing in 1967. The Grand was a tangible reminder of the self-sufficiency of Charlotte’s early Black communities. The theater was an integral part of Biddleville and is located in the area around Johnson C. Smith University, an historically Black college that was founded in 1867. “Most of our audience were students from Johnson C. Smith,” Eloise Taylor told The Charlotte Post in June of 1986. “They always came to the late shows and other specials,” said Taylor, who worked as a ticket seller at the Grand.
Alexander Slave Cemetery
You will find the Alexander Slave Cemetery on the south side of Mallard Creek Church Road, just west of Highway US 29. This cemetery is located on the property that was originally part of the plantation purchased by William Tasse Alexander I in the early nineteenth century. It is estimated to have 25-30 people interred there.
First Ward Neighborhood
First Ward has historically been the Center City's most racially and economically integrated area. It was home to African-Americans, whites, rich and poor folks, and some of the city's finest homes and businesses. In the early 20th century, white children attended First Ward Elementary School and Black children attended Alexander Street Elementary School. Although overtaken by urban renewal currently, First United Presbyterian Church, Little Rock AME Zion Church, and the United House of Prayer for All People–First Ward on North Davidson Street are evidence of the area’s heritage.
Home of Thaddeus Tate was located on East 7th Street
Thaddeus Tate House
Built during the 1880s, prominent businessman Thaddeus Tate and his family lived in this Victorian-style brick home at 504 East 7th Street. Tate opened a barbershop in 1882, which prospered for more than 50 years. He co-founded several of Charlotte's leading businesses, including the Afro-American Mutual Insurance Company and the Mecklenburg Investment Company. Photo courtesy of the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library
Good Samaritan Hospital
Good Samaritan Hospital
This was the first privately funded hospital in North Carolina. Established by Jane Renwick Wilkes, it opened in 1891 and offered Black doctors and nurses the opportunity to practice medicine in Charlotte. “Good Sam” was located at the current site of Bank of America Stadium.
Photo courtesy of the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library
Charlotte's first black Baptist church was organized by former slaves in June, 1867. This sanctuary, at 1020 South Church Street, was dedicated in September, 1911, and demolished in 1977.
First Baptist Church – West
First Baptist Church-West can be traced to recently freed slaves meeting under an oak tree in 1867. In 1870, the congregation purchased land at 1020 South Church Street. Church men did most of the labor after leaving their day jobs, the women and children brought food and held lanterns as they worked into the night. The church was finally completed and was formally dedicated in September 1911.
Photo courtesy of the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library
The home of J.T. Willams was located at 205 S. Brevard St. Romare Bearden Park sits in the artist's old neighborhood.
Romare Bearden’s Old Neighborhood
Renowned artist Romare Bearden was born inside his great grandparents’ home, located at 401 South Graham Street in September 1911. During the summers, Bearden often visited his grandparents which left a significant impression on his work. Their neighborhood, called Third Ward, was razed in the 1960s to make way for urban development and now has a park named in Bearden’s honor – Romare Bearden Park on Church Street in Charlotte.
Hotel Alexander
The Hotel Alexander, once located on McDowell Street, was at one time the center of social life in the Second Ward in Charlotte. During the 1940s, it was the only hotel in Charlotte that served Blacks. Celebrities who visited the city also stayed at the hotel. Like many other African American historical places in the area, the Hotel Alexander was a victim of urban renewal and was demolished to make more space for more modern buildings.
Home of J.T. Williams
Born in 1859., J.T. Williams entered Shaw University’s Leonard Medical School in Raleigh in 1883 and became one of the first three black doctors licensed in North Carolina. Williams was a teacher and physician and a diplomat as well as a highly respected businessman. He was president of the Queen City Drug Store Company, one of the first black owned and operated rug stores in NC, In 1898, he was appointed consul to Sierre Leone. P
Hotel Alexander was located on McDowell Street in the Second Ward.
Bringing My Whole Self to Work
By Dina C. Lankford Senior Project Manager in Information & Analytics Services (IAS), member of the African American Women Exemplifying Commitment to Equity & Leadership system resource group, and the IAS divisional diversity council at Atrium Health
Ihave always enjoyed listening to stories shared by friends and family, especially those about real life. As an adult, I’m still drawn to authentic stories. Perhaps it’s because I feel a deep sense of connection when someone is vulnerable with me. Now, it’s time to share a story of my own.
Earlier this year, I found myself feeling less vibrant, funny, and happy than usual. At the time, I believed it was a normal response to the COVID-19 restricted life we had been living for more than a year. As a social butterfly, it had caused a massive ripple in my routine gatherings with family and friends. There were no more restaurant outings, no more out-oftown trips, no more Sunday dinners and, worst of all, no more hugs and kisses. On top of that, it was now necessary to don a mask and gloves for essential activities like grocery shopping and getting gas.
As if a worldwide pandemic wasn’t enough, escalating stories of blatant racism bombarded the news and social media. As a Black woman in the United States, they had a profound impact on me. The killing of George Floyd, clearly captured on camera, was too much to bear. How could this happen? How could I ever feel safe again? The hate weighed on me so heavily, I felt it in the depths of my soul. And yet, I still faced daily stressors with family, at work and, of course, in response to the string of unexpected, demoralizing events of the past year and a half.
By spring 2021, I reached a breaking point. My director asked how I was. I replied truthfully, “I’m not okay. Never before had I said that out loud, especially not at work. At that moment, I knew I needed help. I could no longer dismiss this as merely a case of the “pandemic blues.” This was serious. How could I get well?
Immediately, I remembered my workplace resources and reached out to Atrium Health’s Code Lavender team, the company’s resource for responding to employees in emotional distress. I needed someone to listen without judgment and help develop a plan. Fortunately, an amazing person in Spiritual Care took my call. He listened, asked questions and helped me determine my next steps.
After, I scheduled a visit with my Atrium Health primary care provider. I had already established care with this doctor and knew she had my health history. Comfortable with her, I shared the traumatic incidents experienced in the past 18 months. We agreed on a treatment plan, including a leave of absence to heal, regular virtual therapy through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and communicating with my health coach for added support. Once I assembled my outstanding care team, I had hope. I knew they genuinely cared and found comfort in my plans to get well.
As you may know, mental health – therapy in particular – is still heavily stigmatized, especially in the Black community. You might also wonder if you, too, can get help. As someone who has been there, I encourage you to reject the stigma and do what it takes to get healthy and whole again. I’m grateful to work for Atrium Health, which encourages me to bring my whole self to work, and provides free resources, like Code Lavender and the EAP. Because of these benefits, I had access to the help I needed.
Still on my journey to wholeness, I’m on the right path and I have the right people on my side. I hope I have inspired you to put your own health, hope, and healing first – to stay, or become whole again.
If you're feeling overwhelmed and think you may need help, call Atrium Health’s 24/7 Behavioral Health Help Line at 704-444-2400 and speak to a licensed professional. For resources and information, visit atriumhealth.org/behavioral-health.
