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History Timeline

1897 - Duke Power

American Tobacco Company executive James B. Duke is buying land along the Catawba River. He believes a type of power, called hydro-electric, can be made here. Until now, most mill machinery has been powered by steam. Duke's enterprise, the Southern Power Company, will attract industry to the area when they offer affordable hydro-electric power.James B. Duke

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1885 - Dr. Annie Alexander

A Charlotte woman died because she was too embarrassed to let a male doctor examine her. Dr. Annie Alexander returns to Charlotte to become the city's first female physician. She has just earned the highest score in her class on Maryland's medical exams. Dr. Alexander will practice medicine for an entire year before she earns $2.00.

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1874 - Stumptown-Matthews

People call it Stumptown for all the tree stumps left standing when land is cleared. There was little more than a stagecoach stop in the small town which now changes its name to Matthews, in honor of the railroad official who helps bring the Central Carolina line to the town.

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1907 - Selwyn Hotel

No other hotel will enhance the city's image as a modern business center more than the Selwyn, located at the corner of Trade and Church streets. It is named for Lord Selwyn, a British noblemen who once owned the land where Charlotte was settled. The Selwyn will operate for more than 60 years, and boast a reputation as the state's finest hotel. It will be followed in 1923 by the 400-room Hotel Charlotte on West Trade Street.

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1900 - Horseless Carriage

November 30, 1900 - Two automobiles, the first to arrive in the Queen City, are unloaded at Charlotte's rail depot. Businessman Oswald Barringer keeps one and sells the other to Dr. C.G. McManaway. The early autos are called locomobiles.

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1856 - Women's Education

The Charlotte Female Institute opens to educate young women. The school building at the corner of Ninth and College streets will be used in 1896 to start Presbyterian College for Women. In 1912, the school will move to a suburban campus on Queens Road in the Myers Park neighborhood.Charlotte Female Institute

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1865 - Columbia in Flames

February 17, 1865 - Columbia, South Carolina surrenders to General William T. Sherman. Early the next morning, a fire breaks out and spreads, engulfing the town. Some accuse Sherman of setting the fire, others blame drunken soldiers celebrating their victory. Also today, Confederates in Charleston begin to leave their battered city. Charlotteans fear they will be next as Sherman continues to conquer the South.

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1876 - The Honorable Zebulon Vance

Zebulon Vance, who was sent to prison at the end of the Civil War, is elected North Carolina's governor. When Jewish shopkeeper Samuel Wittkowsky learned of the order to arrest Vance, he convinced the officers that his friend was honorable and would not flee. Now Vance lives in Charlotte. He has served as governor during war and in peacetime. Soon, Vance will be elected to the U.S. Senate.

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1860 - The Decline of Slavery

Some slaves are granted their freedom, called manumission, from their owners. Local laws give newly freed blacks 90 days to leave the area. Some travel east to the coastal cities and look for work. Others move west, hoping to find land and opportunity. The number of free blacks is increasing faster than the number of slaves. Lawmakers worry that free blacks are encouraging slaves to run away from their owners, so a law is passed prohibiting free blacks from entering North Carolina from other states.Pamphlet on Slavery

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1865 - Sherman Enters North Carolina

February 22, 1865 - Columbia, South Carolina has suffered the destruction and occupation by General William T. Sherman's Union troops. Now Sherman begins to move north. The people of Charlotte brace for the attack. But the maneuver is a trick. Sherman turns east towards Goldsboro, North Carolina instead. But Charlotte's relief is short-lived. The South is losing the war.

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