By 1900, the O'Donoghue School was the oldest private school in Charlotte. It was established on August 27, 1887 by the Sisters of Mercy. It was first called St. Mary's Seminary. This school was for children whose parents wanted them to receive a Catholic education. In 1905, the school moved to a larger building at 531 South Tryon Street, and changed its name to the O'Donoghue School after the school's benefactor, Dr. Dennis O'Donoghue.
Below are things you would have seen in 1900. The date beside each item indicates the year it was invented.
French Fries - 1700s by Thomas Jefferson
Bicycles - 1790
Graham Crackers - 1829
Lawn mowers - 1830
Chewing gum - 1848
Sewing Machines - 1851
Elevators - 1853
Dynamite - 1866
Cracker Jacks - 1872
Mail Order Catalogs - 1872
Ketchup - 1876
Telephones - 1876
Toilet Paper - 1880
Coca Cola by John Pemberton - 1886
Basketball - 1891
◾ First Time Events
◾ New Words
◾ Cost of Living
◾ Things Familiar
◾ Things Unknown
◾ Winter Wonders
◾ Holiday Gifts
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Refrigerators in homes would not be seen until around 1913, and only in homes where the owner could afford one. Most people relied on an icebox to keep their food cold. Kept in the kitchen, an icebox resembled a piece of furniture. A block of ice was placed in the lower compartment to cool the food above. The melted ice collected in a tray underneath the icebox. Everyday, someone in the house would empty the tray. Once a week or when neccessary, the iceman would deliver a block of ice to the house.
The senior class of Charlotte High School of 1900 posed together. with Superintendent Alexander Graham. Young women wore lacy, white summer dresses with high collars.
According to the 1900 United States Census, 55,628 reside in Mecklenburg County. Of these, only 18,091 live in Charlotte. There are 4,190 farms in the county, and that’s where most people live. A farm laborer earns approximately $14.64 a month.
Take a look at how inexpensive it was to rent a house a hundred years ago. This is a copy of an advertisement from the 1903 Charlotte Observer. A family could rent a seven-room house in uptown Charlotte for $25.00 a month in the early 1900s. In one hundred years, the rent for this same house will be $2000.00
Different shoe styles are not the norm in 1903. Based on this 1910 advertisement, women had some choices when it came to shoes, but not as many as we do today. The laced up boots seen here were in vogue in 1903 until the late 1900s. To fasten the buttons a hook was designed to help accomplish this arduous, daily task.
