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Turn of the 20th Century: Life in Charlotte 1900 - 1910

Early Cameras

Roll film cameras by Kodak were first introduce in 1895. Eastman Kodak Company became one of the largest manufacturers of home cameras. This enabled families to take home pictures without hiring a professional photographer.  The Van Ness Family operated a photograph studio and sold camera equipment and film from  their store at 125 East Fifth Street from the 1870s  to well into the 1930s. William  I. Van Ness was the son of local photographer, James Van Ness who was one of Charlotte's early photographers. 

The Bee Hive

The Bee Hive was a popular place to go shopping for clothes and shoes.  Located at 43-47 East Trade Street, this small drygoods store opened in 1902 by H. M. Efird with cooperation of Charles A. Williams of the Williams & Shelton Company.

Things Familiar

Believe it or not, everything has a history, including chewing gum! Listed below are some things you might recognize.  Beside each item, is the name of the person or persons associated with introducing or inventing the product, and the year it became popularly known.  

French Fries  by President Thomas Jefferson - 1700s

Modern Bicycle  by John Kemp Starley - 1871

Graham Crackers are associated with the dietary recommendations of the Reverend Sylvestor Graham - 1750 

Furniture

The turn of the century marks the beginning of the Edwardian period in architecture and furniture design. Elaborate wood carvings and heavy fabrics are very popular. The Andrews Furniture and Music Store carried a wide array of  futniture and organs. Most homes had an organ from the late 1800s until the 1920s when pianos became more popular. Andrews was located at 16 West Trade Street.

Play Clothes

Playtime is very important. Girls usually wear smocks over their dresses, and most boys run barefoot. In town, small parks become a common playground for children, complete with swing sets. These open spaces give children lots of room to play baseball, basketball, Hide-and-Seek, Ring-Around-the-Rosie, “Drop-the-Handkerchief, and Follow-the-Leader.      

Independence Park in Elizabeth was the first city park in Charlotte. There were swings, basektball courts, badmitton and a host of other playground activities available to children in Charlotte.

Cost of Living

 Click to see the  difference in prices of various items from 1903 compared to the cost of the same items in 2017.  

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Ice and Coal Advertisement

The availability of ice was highly prized by families living in warm climates like Charlotte.  It helped preserve food longer. Businesses that sold ice also sold coal during the winter months. Coal was the major fuel source in the early part of the 20th century. It heated both stoves and furnaces.

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School Clothes

Children's clothes varied in fabric but not in design. Girls usually wore an apron or pinafore over their dresses to keep the latter clean. Boys wore knickers or shorts. All wore thick, heavy wool stockings. 

Another class posing  with their school teacher.

New Words

These words are added to the Oxford Dictionary prior to 1910:

Chassis

Club Sandwich

Gamma Ray Orthodontist

Peanut Butter

Rainforest

Speedway

Tractor

Icebox Instead of Refrigerators

Refrigerators in homes would not be seen until around 1913, and only in homes where the owner could afford one. Most people relied on an icebox to keep their food cold.  Kept in the kitchen, an icebox resembled a piece of furniture.  A block of ice was placed in the lower compartment to cool the food above. The melted ice collected in a tray underneath the icebox. Everyday, someone in the house would empty the tray. Once a week or when neccessary, the iceman would deliver a block of ice to the house.