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History Timeline

1835 - Prosperous Citizen

May 12, 1835 - Samuel McComb is appointed to select the site and supervise the building of Charlotte's Mint. He is well qualified. Ten years earlier, he discovered gold on his farm and now owns a gold mine. Since then, he has been a sheriff and served in North Carolina's lawmaking body, the General Assembly.

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1820 - Plank Road Journey

As commerce becomes more important, citizens are asked to devote their time to improving Mecklenburg County's roads. By laying split wood along the paths, workers hope to smooth the way for vehicles. Still, travel is unpleasant. Passengers and horses alike suffer injuries when the animals pulling stagecoaches lose their footing and stumble on the uneven roads.Muddy Traveling Along Carolina Highways Perils of Early Travel

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1782 - Questions Arise

Now that the British have surrendered to the Americans, what will happen to the black men who fought in the Revolutionary War? Most slaves who were captured are returned to their masters. But the British agree to hear arguments, called appeals, from the black men. The British give money to the slave masters and grant freedom to those blacks who helped them. 'Liberty to slaves:' The black response By Jeffrey J. Crow

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1845 - Rebuilding the Mint

March 3, 1845 - The U.S. Congress agrees to set aside, or appropriate, money to rebuild the Charlotte Mint. The facility, which made coins from gold mined in North Carolina, was destroyed by a fire last July. Congress will allow $35,000 to be spent on the project.

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1830 - Gold Fever

The gold rush attracts mining experts to Charlotte. Humphrey Bissell invests in the mines, and helps develop machines that drill for gold, then crush and compact it. Count Chevalier Vincent de Rivafinoli brings European workers to help increase the yield from the mines. Within just one, short three-month period, laborers will coax 3,800 ounces of gold from Charlotte's mines.

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1783 - Peace

September 3, 1783 - Great Britain has no choice. By signing the Treaty of Paris today, it must finally recognize the United States as a free and sovereign nation, as proclaimed by the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The U.S. borders now reach west to the Mississippi River, north to Canada, and south to Florida.

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1829 - President Jackson

The boy who grew up near Charlotte becomes America's seventh president. People think highly of Andrew Jackson. He has been an outspoken lawyer, military hero, and senator. As president, he will make decisions both to limit the power of the federal government and to assert it forcefully in its proper sphere. Some of his actions will bring great hardship to the Indian tribes that live in the Carolinas and neighboring states.

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1840 - Hard Times for Catawbans

The Treaty of Nation's Ford devastates the Catawba Indians, many of whom live along the border between North and South Carolina. South Carolina agrees to give the tribe $5000 to buy 300 acres of mountain land in Haywood County, N.C., then $2000 per year for five years. North Carolina refuses to give the tribe any money until the Catawbas actually give up the disputed land and leave. Many of the tribe will be left poor and homeless.

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1795 - Birth of a President

November 2, 1795 - James Knox Polk is born in Mecklenburg County. He is a descendant of Scottish religious reformer John Knox . As the 11th President of the United States, the country grows in size by half a million square miles with the inclusion of Texas, New Mexico and California.

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1836 - Boomtown

January 8, 1836 - More than 50 gold mines now operate in North Carolina, and more are in Mecklenburg than in any other county. Some mines are named for places or their owners: Alexander, McComb, Davidson Hill. Others have more exotic names, like the Queen of Sheba and the King Solomon mines. As the cornerstone is laid today at Charlotte's Mint building on West Trade Street, the Queen City prepares to produce coins for the first time.

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