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History Timeline

1767 - Land Grants

Jan. 15, 1767 - Lord Augustus Selwyn agrees to sell 360 acres of land to Abraham Alexander, Thomas Polk and John Frohock. Since there is no American currency yet, the price is determined in British units of money, called pounds. The price for the land is 90 pounds. The land lies where the future downtown Charlotte will flourish.

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1740 - Rural Settlers

The rivers of the Piedmont are difficult to navigate from outside areas, and this interior region becomes known as the Backcountry. Swiss and French settlers from Charleston, South Carolina slowly begin to make their way here. They join the English settlers.

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1700 - The Lawson Expedition

English surveyor John Lawson travels north and west from coastal Charleston, South Carolina, by way of the Santee, Wateree and Catawba rivers. Roads are still 50 years away. His voyage takes him 1,000 miles as he maps the rough terrain. Soon, English rulers will decide where they want colonists to settle.

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1763 - Love for a Queen

February 1, 1763 - From the western section of Anson County, a piece of land is set aside to form a new county. It is called Mecklenburg County, in honor of King George III's wife. Her name is Charlotte Sophia of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, and the county is named for her homeland in Germany. Later, the city itself will be named for Queen Charlotte. A law passed in the previous year made the changes effective as of February 1, 1763.

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1768 - Creating New Counties

From western Mecklenburg County, Tryon County has been created. By 1850, it will be divided into several smaller counties: Cleveland County, plus Lincoln and Gaston counties, which border Mecklenburg along the Catawba River

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1663 - Lords Proprietors

King Charles II of England creates the Carolina colony on March 24. He grants the land that will become North and South Carolina to eight loyal followers who are known as the Lords Proprietors.

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1768 - Charlotte Chartered

December 3, 1768 - Charlotte is chartered, which means the new town will have a courthouse and a prison. The law establishing a town for holding court in Mecklenburg County was first passed at a session of the colonial Assembly. It was then sent on to the governor, who made it effective on December 3 of that year. Here is the full text of the law from the State Records of North Carolina: 

 

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1654 - Carolina's First Settler

Nathaniel Batts is the first known permanent English settler in North Carolina. He builds a two-room home in Bertie County.

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1750 - Slavery

In West Africa, men, women and children are captured and forced onto ships bound for the American colonies. These people will be sold as slaves. Although the Africans have their own beliefs, language, families and culture, their owners will not care. The slaves will lose the rights of free people to act and live as they choose.

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1766 - The First Mecklenburg County Courthouse

The First Courthouse was a log cabin, built on ten-foot tall brick pillars. This tradition of raising the courthouse or main town market building was borrowed from England, and provided an open space at the center of town that could be used for the selling of animals, produce and other goods. Additionally, in the center of the open space, a post was driven into the ground to mark the middle of town, from which distances to other towns, river fords, and other destinations could be measured. 

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