Joe Davidson and Graham Abernathy

 Over a 100 years ago, Charlotte held it’s own Renaissance Festival at the Charlotte Fairgrounds. The Charlotte Consolidated Construction Company (the 4 C's) headed by Edward Dilworth Latta, leased a large track of land to the Mecklenburg Fair Association in 1902. The latter opened a fair in September of that year. The fairgrounds were located on the south side of East Boulevard about where Park Road and Dilworth Road West are today. The ten-year lease was not renewed in 1911 as Latta planned to expand the park in Dilworth and open a larger park called Lakewood just west of Charlotte. The buildings and the pavilion were dismantled.

Photographer O.J. Rader took this image of two of the participants Joe Davidson (left) who posed as the Knight Rural Hill and Graham Abernathy (right) in the role of Sir Carolina. Fifteen “knights” in all participated in a horse race and spear contests. The spear in the photo is now owned by the Levine Museum of the New South.

Physical Description: 4 x 5 inches albumen print mounted on board