1890-115th anniversary of Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence Celebration (2)

The following are articles from the Charlotte News detailing the 115th Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence celebrations in 1890.

The Charlotte News: "The Glorious 20th" 5/20/1890 front page and "The Last of the Celebration" 5/22/1890 front page

THE GLORIOUS 20TH. Magnificent Street Scenes in Charlotte.  (unedited) A GORGEOUS STREET PARADE.   Great Crowds in the City and The first Day’s Celebration a Wonderful Success.   LIFE IN THE HORNETS NEST.   Notes and Incidents of the Day—A Procession Eight Blocks Long.   They are all here.   We mean everybody in Mecklenburg county and nearly everybody in the State, besides a lot of people from adjoining States.  It is the first day’s celebration of the 115th anniversary of the signing of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence.  And Charlotte is doing credit to the occasion.  It paralells the great centennial celebration of 1875, and that was the greatest occasion ever known in Charlotte.  The city is fairly packed with people.  The hotels are crowded and the boarding houses are on a boom.  Charlotte is celebrating the 20th.   Banners float everywhere.  The day has been full of bristling bayonets, bright uniforms, martial music, and patriotic speeches.  The Haberdasher’s big six pound cannon crackers were set off at sunrise and the detonations had scarcely died away before the bells pealed out, and Charlotte was awake for the 20th.  The different trains into the city emptied loads of visitors, while from every highway, vehicles came in in an unbroken column.  The town was full of people by 10 o’clock.  It was a great crowd, and the parade was the finest ever seen in Charlotte, being eight blocks long.   Chief Marshal, Dr. R. J. Brevard and his assistants managed matters in fine style, and the procession moved promptly at 12 o’clock.  It was a fine show.   The chief marshal and a squad of his assistants, mounted on gaily caparisoned horses, headed the procession, and following them was the float representing the 13 original States.  It was a work of art, and was cheered all along the line.  Master Hamilton Wilson, representing Uncle Sam, held the lines.  The float was gorgeously decorated in national colors, and under the canopy, arranged in pyramidial form, were the following young lady representatives:   Miss Grace Ahrens, New York. Miss Anna L. Hutchison, Massachusetts. Miss Lilly Nash, New Jersey. Miss Sadie Jones, South Carolina. Miss Marion Clarkson, Rhode Island. Miss Annie P. Hutchison, North Carolina. Miss Sadie Clarkson, Delaware. Miss Nellie Tate, Georgia. Miss Ella McAden, New Hampshire. Miss Sadie Young, Connecticut. Miss Lilian Smith, Virginia. Miss Lottie Maffit, Maryland. Miss Mary Wilson, Pennsylvania   Following came carriages containing Senator Z. B. Vance, Col. Thos. S. Kenan, Col. H. C. Jones, Rev. A. G. McManaway, Dr. George Graham, Prof. Alex. Graham, Mr. P. D. Walker, and Mayor McDowell.   Then came the Mecklenburg Veterans, 200 strong, followed by the Columbia band.  Following the veterans was the military, with Co. J. T. Anthony at their head, the Hornets Nest Riflemen, Wilmington Light Infantry, Monroe Light Infantry, Governor’s Guard, Reidsville Light Infantry. The Steel Creek band was next in line, followed by the finest display of firemen ever assembled in North Carolina.  There were three companies from Raleigh, one from Durham, one from Columbia, one from Goldsboro, one from Greensboro, one from Monroe, one from Salisbury, one from Salem, besides the Charlotte fire department in line.  The glittering engines, fiery horses, gaily decorated reels and finely uniformed men made a sight to be remembered.  No such a firemen’s display has ever been known in North Carolina.   The Charlotte Cornet Band followed the firemen, and then came the trades display.  It was a wonderfully fine one, and was a credit to Charlotte.  Nothing of the kind had ever before been attempted here, and the magnificence of the display was an agreeable surprise to our people as well as to the visitors.  L. J. Walker & Co’s float, representing flour, sugar and coffee was first in line.  Then came the Charlotte Supply Company, with engines, belting, etc.  Following this was the D. A. Tompkin’s float, with telegraph poles, wires, arc and incandescent lights, engine and dynamo.  McCausland’s stove house came next with a pyramid of stoves and grates.  Rigler’s bakery float went along with bakers kneeding dough and baking rolls.  The Wilson Drug Company was represented by an immense float with a 20-foot mortar and pestle.  Following this came a float that drew forth cheers all along the line.  It was The News float, driven by a representative of the Temple of Justice.  The float was filled with newsboys scattering copies of The News.  But the main attraction was the great hornet nest, held by Scroggins, who was dressed to represent Uncle Sam.  The hornet nest was five feet high, four feet in diameter and sixteen feet in circumference.  It bore this placard:  “The Daily News Always Takes the Cake.”  Farrior’s float followed, with a big pendulum, in which a small boy was swinging.  Gilreath & Co’s float was a novelty, being drawn by six mules tandem.  Van Ness, the Photographer, had an artistically constructed float, surmounted by an immense camera.  The Racket’s float was a work of art.  DeCamp & Deal printers, had a job press in operation.  The Charlotte Oil and Fertilizer Company had an elaborate and handsome float.  Rogers & Company were represented by a boat and oarsmen, pulling for their store for good clothing.  The Portner Brewing Company had a float showing the operation of filling bottles from kegs.  H. Baruch’s float was a beauty, and attracted general admiration.  Pharr & Long’s float represented an old fort, with batteries.  Burgess Nichols was represented by a float artistically constructed, carrying a fine walnut suit of furniture.  C. Valer’s soda water establishment showed up well in the line.  R. H. Jordan & Co. were represented.  One of the most elegant floats was that of Boyne & Badger, representing Morning, Noon and Night.  Miss Marie Sadler represented Morning, Miss Sadie Hirshinger, Noon, and Miss Lizzie Clarkson, Night.  Mr. John D. Wiley represented Old Father Time, with his Scythe.  The Standard Oil Company had a pyramid of red, white and blue barrels. The Elliott Furniture company showed a finely designed float.  Kaufman had a float that caught the attention of all.  I.W. Durham & Co’s representation of a monument was one of the finest things in line.  Johnston & Elliott had a float showing their marbles.  Tom Garibaldi’s float showed slate and tin roofing.  E. M. Andrews had a gorgeous float carrying a magnificent set of parlor furniture in charge of uniformed attendants.  Cotton weigher Withers was on hand with a fancy ball of cotton, bearing weigher’s marks.  Following came a small display of agricultural implements, a wagon of hay, by Mr. J. S. Myers, and a wagon of straw by Mr. J. W. Wadsworth.  The cattle and dairy exhibit was fine.  Chas. C. Moore showed 15 head of Jerseys and 12 thoroughbred horses.  Capt. Jas. Davis showed 20 head of Jerseys, and McD. Watkins 30 head of fine cattle.  Mr. Wm. Burns was in line with fine horses.  The procession strung out along eight blocks.  It moved from the court house down Trade street to College, up College to Eleventh, to Tryon, down Tryon to Morehead, then counter-marched to the tabernacle, where it disbanded.  It was a splendid spectacle and a glory to Charlotte.   The speeking took place in the tabernacle.  Senator Vance, Governor Fowle, and Auditor Sanderlin made addresses.  Mr. Sanderlin was speaking as The News went to press.  It almost looked like a Sam Jones meeting, so great was the crowd and so intense the interest manifested.  All the speeches were of a patriotic character.  Gov. Fowle made an especially fine talk and won a firm place in the hearts of the people of Charlotte.

THE LAST OF THE CELEBRATION.   A General Wind Up To-day—Greensboro Awarded the State Championship Medal — Newbern’s Steamer Wins the Engine Contest.   The celebration is over, and Charlotte has cause to congratulate herself upon  the complete success in every detail.  It would be hard to improve upon the occasion in any particular.  The crowds have been simply immense, and we have not heard a single expression of disappointment on part of the visitors.  In fact they all expressed themselves delighted with the celebration.  They knew from past experience that when Charlotte gets up a show that is the time to come, and they were not disappointed.  Taking the celebration as a whole, it stands out prominenntly as one of the best ever known here.   Last night’s feature was the fireworks display, and it was certainly a magnificent one.  It was given at the vacant lot near the Richmond & Danville freight depot, and the crowd present was a sight to see.  There could not have been less than 15,000 people in the crowd.  Some estimate the crowd at 20,000, but that is probably overshooting the mark a little.  The display was the finest ever seen in this State, and the contractor put up a square job.  The set pieces included pictures of Vance and Cleveland, Maltese cross, whirligigs, and Niagara falls.  The display of rockets and candles was profuse and varied, while the bomb show was simply astonishing.  It was a beautiful spectacle and one well worth seeing.   Today’s programme, while not so elaborate as yesterday’s, was decidedly interesting, consisting of engine contests.  The contest took place from the cistern in front of the court house, and was between the Newbern and Monroe engines.  Both engines are of the Silsy make, and are beauties, as well as engines capable of doing superb work.  Both were fired up at the same time, and at 3 minutes and 27 seconds from the time smoke appeared from the stack of the Atlantic engine, of Newbern, that engine threw a stream 50 feet.  An exhibition of water throwing then followed, and it was a pretty sight – Monroe’s engine did fine work and spit just a little bit further than Newbern’s.  After that, there was an exhibition horse reel race by the Rescue company of Raleigh. The distance was 300 yards.  The first run was made in 60 seconds and the second run in 56 seconds.   There was somewhat of a row over the awarding of the State championship medal yesterday afternoon.  The judges decided that Greensboro, had won it, while Raleigh disputed the decision and held to the medal.  It is a gold medal costing $150 and was offered by Raleigh.  Last year Raleigh won it.  She claimed to have won it yesterday.  The rule is that the company that wins it three times is to keep it.  This explains Raleigh’s anxiety about the matter.  In the face of the judges decision, Raleigh’s team left this morning and carried the medal with them.  Today the judges met and decided finally that the medal was won by Greensboro, and Raleigh was telegraphed to to send the medal to the Greensboro team.   Some of the firemen and military will linger with us, but they will all leave for their homes tonight.  They have had a real, genteel good time.   ________________________   The Committeemen.   A lot of praise is due to Charlotte for the style of the celebration just closed, but when it comes to talking about credit, then the committees must be mentioned.  The selection of committeemen at the start was the right sort of a one, for workers were put on, and they never let up a single day from the very inception of the celebration to the dawn of the 20th.  They did their work well, even in the face of early discouragements and too much praise cannot be accorded them.