Originally coined Black Music Month, the commemoration was conceived by black music moguls Kenny Gamble, Dyana Williams and Ed Wright in the 1970s and initiated by President Jimmy Carter on June 7, 1979. The holiday was later renamed African American Music Appreciation Month by President Barack Obama in 2009.  

This month, we celebrate African American musicians, their songs and their lasting cultural and historical impacts. Join the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room as we celebrate this month – our music archive is a treasure trove of music produced by notable African American artists from North Carolina. 

Music created by African Americans has played a significant role in the Long Civil Rights Movement, serving as the rallying cries of protests and the beat to which activists march. Songs used during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s were often pre-existing songs that were modified to reflect the aims of the movement, such as We Shall Overcome and This Little Light of Mine, but there were also many new songs written specifically as protest songs, such as You’d Better Leave Segregation Alone and Dog, Dog by James Bevel and Bernard Lafayette. Some of the most popular tunes were captured in Sing for Freedom: The Story of the Civil Rights Movement Through its Songs, compiled by Guy Carawan in 1990. In addition to providing the lyrics and sheet music for songs used in the Civil Rights Movement, Carawan provides historical context, including events in North Carolina and the city of Charlotte, and includes interviews from the movement’s participants detailing the significance of music to their activities. 

Charlotte has been home to notable rappers, jazz musicians and R&B artists. Some of these Charlotteans include Fantasia, Arsena Schroeder, DaBaby, Deniro Farrar, K-Ci & Jojo, Bettie Grind, Ruga, Anthony Hamilton, Elevator Jay, Lute, Harvey Cummings, Jason Jet, D’Yenna Dukes and Jodeci.  

The city has celebrated the month in several ways – the Harvey B. Gantt Center has held free events in honor of the month, and Charlotte radio station Power 98 FM has dedicated the month of June to honoring African American musicians. The #BeONE Music Experience was also created to observe African American Music Appreciation Month in the Charlotte, bringing together live music, comedians, food and black culture in several celebrations throughout the city during the month of June.  

The Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room’s music archive features a multitude of albums produced by black North Carolinian artists of all genres such as John Coltrane, the Badgett Sisters, Clyde McPhatter, the Jordan River Boys and many others. Also available are albums featuring various artists, such as Big Mamas: Independent Women’s Blues (Ida Cox, Billie Holiday, Martha Copeland) and A Cappella Gospel Singing (Georgia Peach, Dixie Hummingbirds, The Spirit of Memphis Quartet).  

Want to listen to hits by prominent black artists? Check out this compilation of playlists from Freegal: 

• African-American Music Month Playlist 

• Unbreakable: A Juneteenth Playlist 

• Queens of Soul Playlist 

• Jazz Classics Playlist 

• 90's Hip Hop Classics Playlist 

• StayWoke: The Conscious Hip-Hop Collection 

Images: 

Charlotte’s Southland Jubilee Singers, performing for WSOC Radio in the 1940s. Photo donated by Virginia E. Keogh to the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. 

A live performance in Charlotte’s Excelsior Club, broadcast on WGIV radio in the mid-1940s. Photo donated by Carolyn Wyche to the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. 

Charlotte soul artist Arsena Schroder. Photo by Kevin Currie. 

Yanceyville folk and gospel group, the Badgett Sisters. Photo by Roger Manley. Albums available for listening in the music archive of the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. 

The album cover of Rhythm and Soul by Durham R&B, soul, and rock artist Clyde McPhatter. Available for listening in the music archive of the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. 

The album cover of Black Pearls by Hamlet jazz musician John Coltrane. Available for listening in the music archive of the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. 

Welcome to Week 3 of Summer Break! Did you know that people of all ages can participate in Summer Break program? We hope that all the members of your family are having a great time participating and logging reading time and activities. Summer Break 2019 will run from June 1, 2019 until August 10, 2019. If you have any questions about Summer Break, check out how the program works and sign up here.

Digital Branch

Summer is a great time to enjoy the outdoors, but if you are ready to beat the heat, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library has you covered. Stay in the cool air conditioning and access our digital branch any time! Available 24/7 here, the Digital Branch has a variety of offerings for all ages. Find fabulous reads, literacy extension activities, and Active Reading tips on the Storytime Train. Tune in and try out one of our podcasts. Get to know our users by viewing videos in “Telling Our Story,” or watch the dialogue develop around local hot topics in Community Conversations.The Digital Branch has something for everyone to enjoy, no matter the time or location!

ImagiCON 2019

Summer is a great time for kids to explore their creativity! Pencil in Saturday, July 20, as a date for people ages 0-18 and their families to do just that at our 4^th annual ImagiCON. Visit ImaginOn: The Joe and Joan Martin Center for a fun day exploring comic books, graphic novels, cosplay, gaming, and more. Meet artists, gaming technology leaders, and attend panels between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Find out more at ImaginOn’s website here.

Celebrate Library Week at Carowinds!

In addition to offering free Carowinds tickets to eligible Summer Break participants, Carowinds also offers Library customers the opportunity to purchase discounted tickets and use them during Carowinds Library Week. This year Carowinds Library Week runs July 22-28. Purchase discounted tickets to be used during Library Week and help us celebrate Summer Break at Carowinds!

Click here to access the portal

User name: CM

Password: LIBRARY 

These are case sensitive.

Additional discounts may also be available through this portal throughout the summer.

Check Out Exciting Upcoming Programs! 

If you are looking for even more to do, all our branches have great programs throughout the summer. Did you know that attending a library event can count as a learning activity? Our libraries are hosting some wonderful programs this summer. Visit our online calendar to see a complete listing and register.

Remember: all libraries will be closed for July 4.

Comments? Questions?

Are you having problems with the Summer Break website or your account? Do you have questions about the program? Feel free to stop by your local library for assistance, give us a call at 704-416-0101 or email us at [email protected].

What does Landis Wade do?

Everything! And the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library is thrilled to be along for the ride! If you’re local to Charlotte, the name “Landis” might ring a bell. An avid outdoorsman, public speaker, self-described "recovering  trial lawyer," award-winning author and host of the exciting Charlotte Readers Podcast, Landis is a native Charlottean (he graduated from Myers Park High School in 1975!) who’s making waves in the literary community. Even better? In spring 2019, the Library teamed up with him to host the Charlotte Readers Podcast!

Through the Charlotte Readers Podcast, Landis provides a platform where Charlotte-area authors, and those visiting the city, can “give voice to their written words” by reading or discussing their noteworthy works – published or emerging. Landis encourages guests to share stories and poems that evoke the emotions, followed by the kind of questions and answers that provide in-depth insight to the readings.

Hosting Charlotte Readers Podcast is a natural fit for the Library, which is an essential connector of a thriving community of readers, leaders and learners. It’s an opportunity to introduce the community to a variety of authors and writers through a growing medium in a location they can access without a subscription or special app.

Are you a fan of Landis? When he's not spending time with his beautiful wife, Janet, their two children, Jordan and Hamilin, or spending time at his cabin in the North Carolina mountains (where he likes to  read, write, hike, bike, golf and fly-fish), you can keep up with him and the latest episodes of theCharlotte Readers Podcast.

The seventh season of the Charlotte Readers Podcast begins in September 1, 2020. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE CURRENT SEASON AND ALL AVAILABLE EPISODES.

Also, be sure to follow the Charlotte Readers Podcast on social media:

Twitter: @charlottereader

Facebook: @charlottereaderspodcast

It’s week four of Summer Break! Hopefully you’ve been logging your reading time and activities, but if you haven’t, it’s not too late to enroll in the program and join in on the fun. You can even backdate your reading time to the start of the program, June 1. Keep reading, learning and exploring through the end of the program, August 10, 2019.

Making sure you get rewarded for a summer well spent

Library staff have been working hard preparing for Summer Break since September 2018 – developing recommended reading lists, engaging programs and fun incentives.

One of the biggest tasks for the team that manages the Summer Break program is choosing, ordering and sorting all the cool incentives you receive upon completion of the program. This year:

• babies and children earn a new, popular book;
• teens earn either a new, popular book OR a drawstring library tote;
• and adults earn either a car magnet OR notebook.

Once incentives are chosen, the team works with the Marketing and Communications Department to create and order lots of flyers, posters and other print materials to help us tell you all about the program. Printed pieces are sorted and distributed to all 20 library locations.

Staff then order what feels like an ocean of books for babies, children and teens. Each box must be opened, organized and sorted so that every library location has just the right selection of books for participants to choose from when they complete Summer Break.

Staff also sort drawstring book totes, notebooks and car magnets so that teen and adult completers have a variety of colors to choose from at their library location. Check out the beautiful bright yellow!

Once boxes are sorted and labeled, they are taken to the dock to be delivered to library locations.

A lot of hard work is put into Summer Break with the goal of participants enjoying the program and having fun reading and learning all summer long.

To learn more about how the Summer Break program works, and how you can sign up to participate, visit summerbreak.cmlibrary.org.

REMINDER: all library locations are closed for July 4.

Comments? Questions?

Are you having problems with the Summer Break website or your account? Do you have questions about the program? Feel free to stop by your local library for assistance, call 704-416-0101 or email [email protected].

We’re excited to inform you Scaleybark Library will soon move to a new, larger home! This fall, we expect to move into our new location at 4429 South Boulevard, approximately 0.4 miles south of our current location. The new location is currently under construction, and as we near completion, we’ll have more information to share with you about Library services and about a Grand Opening date to celebrate.  

Why is the Scaleybark Library moving? The new location is nearly three times the size of the current branch. This larger footprint will offer more room for programs, services, community and meeting rooms, and resources. We’re bringing you these changes based on your feedback, and with funding from Mecklenburg County. 

As construction proceeds, we'll provide more information so customers can understand service options during the move to the new location and keep you engaged with the library. Your patronage is vitally important to us, so please stay tuned for more information. You can find updates on all Library building projects at www.cmlibrary.org/building-projects.  

In the meantime, Scaleybark Library is still open and operating as usual at 101 Scaleybark, Charlotte 28209. This is the perfect time to stop in, sign up for Summer Break, attend a program, or check out materials. We value you as a customer and look forward to sharing the exciting changes to our relocated library with you when we re-open! 

June is Great Outdoors Month!

Whether you’re biking or beachcombing, the Library has everything you need to prepare for your summer outside!

Great Outdoors Month began as a weeklong celebration in 1998 and grew into a monthlong celebration to highlight outdoor recreation benefits.  According to a recent study, spending two hours a week in nature really is good for your health.  It’s also free!  We’re sharing our favorite ways to explore the outdoors this summer:

• Johnny Molloy’s The Best in Tent Camping guide will help you find the perfect campsite.  Download the book before you go for detailed maps and ratings. 
• Do you love the sound of nature but not the bugs or harsh elements?  Stream or download your favorite sounds, like a peaceful mountain stream or the ocean with Freegal, a music service free with your library card.
• Prepare for any outdoor adventures by with the latest digital issues of Backpacker magazine.  Other nature magazines available on your mobile device or computer include Mother Earth News and Field and Stream. 
• Take a hike—literally—with recommendations from Backpacker Hidden Gems or North Carolina hiking guides in our catalog, also available to download.
• Bring your school-aged children to a Parks and Rec program this summer at many of our locations (registration required).   We’ve partnered with them to bring a little outside indoors with turtles, insects, and wildlife programs. 
• If you’re tired of roasting the same old s’mores, try something different around your campfire with recipes from The Campout Cookbook.
• Summer is a terrific time to plant beans, tomatoes, and Brussels sprouts; get tips for your garden from North Carolina Extension Gardener Handbook. 
• Pack a healthy snack for your next hike or bike trip with an energy bar recipe from Power Hungry. 
• Are you curious about whitewater rafting or mountain biking, but don't know where to begin?  Joe Miller’s  Adventure Carolinas is full of advice for adventure activity beginners.
• Create an environmentally friendly and sustainable home with Building a Sustainable Home.
• Dust off your bicycle and find new paths in Road Biking North Carolina. If your tires are flat, choose from our collection of bicycle repair manuals.
• Teach children the skills you learned from Boy Scouts with The Young Adventurer's Guide to (almost) Everything.
• Read Camp, a collection of camping and living outdoors stories, around a campfire in your backyard.
• Take a copy of Fishing Essentials for Dummies with you and rent a fishing pole from Mecklenburg County. 
• Let the forest heal you!  Learn about Shinrin-yoku, the Japanese practice of healing forest bathing, with these books.

Don’t forget to log your outside fun as part of your Summer Break activities.  The entire family can explore or play outside today with these suggested activities as we celebrate the Great Outdoors all summer long!

For many Americans, July 4 is synonymous with Independence Day. However, in one North Carolina county, Independence Day comes early, on May 20 to be exact.

Beginning in 1825, the residents of Mecklenburg County celebrated the writing and signing of the Mecklenburg Declaration which supposedly took place on May 20, 1775, a full year before the more famous Declaration of Independence. Over the next century, May 20 was the time when residents set off countless fireworks, dined at celebratory dinners at churches, civic organizations and fraternities, held picnics, conducted parades as well as patriotic pageants and hosted dignitaries, including four United States Presidents.

By the time July 4 came around, there was very little enthusiasm to organize and prepare for another massive celebration. Except for the occasional private affairs and individual public drunkenness, most Charlotteans celebrated the day either quietly in their homes or traveled to nearby towns where the activities were in great abundance. This continued for almost 125 years.

During World War II, local officials began to encourage citizens to organize events to celebrate the fourth of July. In 1949, under the leadership of the local chapter of Disabled American Veterans, Charlotte held its first American Independence Day parade. 5,000 people filled the street to watch the Plato Price High School Marching Band and cheered when they played “Stars and Stripes Forever.” Also, in attendance were members of the 504^th Airborne, veterans from the Spanish American War, members of a local cavalry club to honor World War I Veterans, and several trained goats. Twelve planes from the Air National Guard flew high over the city in special formation. Former WWI nurse and “DAV Sweetheart, Minnie Gwaltney was also honored for her continued care of veterans. Thus, began a new tradition in Charlotte.

For more information about Mecklenburg Independence Day celebrations, see: https://www.cmstory.org/exhibits/mecklenburg-declaration-independence/mecklenburg-declaration-independence

Picture of July  parade from the July 5, 1950 Charlotte Observer.

Yes, you read that right!  

The legal separation of the Thirteen Colonies from Great Britain in 1776 actually occurred on July 2, when the Second Continental Congress voted to approve a resolution of independence proposed by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia. Lee made three main points, to include a declaration of independence, a call to form foreign alliances and a “plan for confederation”: 

Lee’s Resolution, June 7, 1776 (National Archives and Records Administration: 301685 )

After approving Lee’s Resolution, Congress turned its attention to The Committee of Five’s drafted statement of independence. The Committee met and wrote what became the Declaration of Independence between June 11-28. Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston, and Benjamin Franklin all served on the Committee, with Thomas Jefferson leading as the principle author.  On July 2 the document was approved, and by July 4, 1776 Congress agreed on the final wording, thus leading to the official adoption of the Declaration of Independence. 

The Committee of Five (National Archives and Records Administration: 532924 )

So, should we celebrate July 2 as our actual day of independence? It seems that John Adams thought so. He wrote to his wife Abigail: 

“The second day of July 1776 will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.” 

Portrait of John Adams (National Archives and Records Administration: 50780435)

Adams's prediction of how Americans would celebrate this occasion was accurate, despite being off by two days. From the outset, Americans celebrated independence on July 4, the date shown on the much-publicized Declaration of Independence, rather than on July 2, the date the resolution of independence was approved in a closed session of Congress.  

The signers of the Declaration of Independence were not all present on July 4, 1776, although Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin did write that they signed it the same day the document was approved and adopted. Other members of Congress, led by John Hancock, the President of the Congress, signed the Declaration nearly a month later on August 2. 

The King of England viewed the members of the Second Continental Congress as traitors, rebelling against the crown. None of the signers were sentenced to death in response to their rebellious actions, but most were punished indirectly through the burning of their homes, imprisonment, or physical harm. 

Oddly, both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the only signers of the Declaration of Independence later to serve as Presidents of the United States, died on the same day: July 4, 1826, which was the 50th anniversary of the Declaration. 

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Sources:  

Massachusetts Historical Society. Letter from John Adams to Abigail Adams, 3 July 1776. Accessed July 2019. https://www.masshist.org/digitaladams/archive/popup?id=L17760703jasecond&page=L17760703jasecond_2   

National Archives and Records Administration. Declaration of Independence. Docs Teach. Accessed July 2019. https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/the-declaration-of-independence 

National Archives and Records Administration. Lee’s Resolution. Docs Teach. Accessed July 2019. https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/lee-resolution-independence  

Charlotte, North Carolina, was first settled after colonists made their way down the Great Wagon Road. Northern colonies in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia had become crowded, so settlers went south to seek religious and economic freedom, as well as to take advantage of quality farmland. Native Americans used this trail for hunting, trading, and war long before the settlers used it to migrate south. The Native Americans named the trail “Warriors Path.” 

Conestoga Wagon, courtesy of Wikimedia. 

Before Charlotte was chartered in 1768 by the colonial North Carolina General Assembly, settlers called the area “Charlottetowne” after Queen Charlotte Sophia of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. The settlers sought to honor Queen Charlotte’s husband, King George III, as well as to sway Assemblymen into making Charlotte the site of the county courthouse as a political bid. Courthouses enabled cities to grow economically by serving as a hub for visitors and business during quarterly sessions. The Assemblymen chartered the city of Charlotte in 1768 and entitled the city to a courthouse and a prison.  

The charter reads: 

“Be it therefore Enacted, by the Governor, Council, and Assembly, and by the Authority of the same, That the said Three Hundred and Sixty Acres of Land, so laid off by the Commissioners or Trustees as aforesaid, be, and the same is hereby constituted, erected, and established, a Town and Town Common, and shall be called by the name of Charlotte.” 

-- Acts of the North Carolina General Assembly, 1768; North Carolina. General Assembly; November 07, 1768 - December 05, 1768; Volume 23, Pages 759-783; CHAPTER XI. 

1766- The First Mecklenburg County Courthouse (modern interpretation). Courtesy of the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room. 

Mecklenburg County, the county in which the city of Charlotte exists, was also named in honor of Queen Charlotte. Charlotte’s birthplace was Mecklenburg-Strelitz, which is a province in present-day northern Germany. Queen Charlotte never actually visited our city, but one of her handwritten letters is housed at the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room in the Main Library: 

Queen Charlotte Letter, 1812. Courtesy of Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room. 

 

Who was Queen Charlotte anyway?   

George III (1738-1820), Queen Charlotte (1744-1818) and their Six Eldest Children. Courtesy of Zoffany Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, 2014. 

Queen Charlotte Sophia was born in Mecklenburg-Strelitz (in the Holy Roman Empire) in 1744, to Duke Charles Louis Frederick of Mecklenburg and Princess Elisabeth Albertine of Saxe-Hildburghausen. As a child, she was educated by a priest in botany, natural history and language, but focused her studies in housekeeping and religion. As demonstrated by the letter above, Charlotte learned how to read and write. These were rare skills for women during that time—her royal status permitted her to have access to education through multiple tutors.  

Unfinished portrait depicting the marriage of George III to Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz on 8 September 1761, Sir Joshua Reynolds. Courtesy of Royal Collection Trust. 

At 17 years old in 1761, Charlotte was engaged to King George III. She was an attractive option to wed because she was born in an “insignificant” part of Europe and would likely have no interest in politics; she was instructed by George III after their wedding “not to meddle” in politics, which she obeyed. However, she did have indirect political influence—she used her closeness to George III to keep herself informed and to recommend office appointments, as well as keep German interests in mind. She did not speak English at first but learned quickly. One observer commented, "She is timid at first but talks a lot, when she is among people she knows."  

View of Buckingham House from WH Pyne, The History of the Royal Residences, 1819 (Courtesy of the British Library).

Although St. James Palace was the official Royal residence, Queen Charlotte fell in love with Buckingham House, which she and George III moved into shortly after purchasing. She gave birth to 14 of her 15 children in the house that eventually became known as “The Queen’s House.” This property is now popularly known as Buckingham Palace. 

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Opus 3 Dedication Page. Courtesy of Bibliorare. 

Queen Charlotte had a passion for music, so she brought a harpsichord with her from Germany and took lessons from Johann Christian Bach, son of Johann Sebastian Bach. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart once played the organ as Queen Charlotte sang on a family trip to England when he was 8 years old. Mozart later dedicated his Opus 3 to his beloved queen. On the dedication page he wrote, “Filled with pride and joy at daring to offer you a tribute, I was finishing up these sonatas to be laid at the feet of your Majesty [Queen Charlotte]; I was, I confess, drunk with vanity and thrilled with myself, when I spied the Genius of Music at my side.”  

Queen Charlotte (1744-1818) by Sir Allan Ramsay, ca. 1761-1769. Courtesy of Royal Collection Trust, https://www.rct.uk/collection/402413/queen-charlotte-1744-1818 

According to some genealogists, Queen Charlotte is informally considered the second biracial Queen of England. She was purportedly a direct descendent of Margarita de Castro e Sousa, a member of the African branch of the Portuguese Royal House. Early portraits of the Queen show that Charlotte had hints of African physical attributes. Sir Allan Ramsay painted many portraits of Queen Charlotte, seen above. Writings from the period also alluded to her “mulatto” appearance, meaning “one with mixed black and white ancestry.”  

As anti-slavery movements in England became more prevalent, royal portrait painters were instructed to soften “undesirable” features in their subjects’ faces. This included making Queen Charlotte’s skin tone appear lighter and manipulating other physical features. In fact, Ramsay’s Coronation portrait of Charlotte was distributed in England and the colonies to subtly stoke anti-slavery sentiment due to the prevalence of Charlotte’s African features.  

A photo of Kew Gardens, the royal botanical garden Queen Charlotte helped maintain. Photo by Kew Gardens. 

Queen Charlotte had a keen interest in botany and played a large role in expanding and preserving Kew Gardens, the Royal botanical gardens in Kew, England. She was known by the British public as the “Queen of Botany,” and botanists named the Bird of Paradise, a flower native to South Africa, the Strelitzia reginae in her honor. Charlotte turned to botany when she struggled with her mental health, which is when she planned the gardens of the Frogmore House in Windsor.  

Queen Charlotte was also a philanthropist, founding several orphanages in England. She founded and was named the Patron of the General Lying-in Hospital in London, which was later named The Queen’s Hospital and is now known as The Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital. Queen Charlotte was also known to offer aid to poor families, as well as helped struggling musicians. 

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Sources:  

Blakemore, Erin. “Meghan Markle Might Not Be the First Mixed-Race British Royal.” History. https://www.history.com/news/biracial-royalty-meghan-markle-queen-charlotte. Accessed August 2019. 

Cooper, Jean L. and Angelika S. Powell. “Queen Charlotte’s Letters.” http://people.virginia.edu/~jlc5f/charlotte/letter_intro.html. Accessed August 2019.  

“England’s 18th Century Black Queen, Sophie Charlotte born.” AAREG. https://aaregistry.org/story/englands-first-black-queen-sophie-charlotte-born/. Accessed August 2019. 

Fraser, Flora. “Princesses: The Six Daughters of George III.” New York: Knopf, 2005. (CML Call No. 941.073 Fraser) 

Hanchett, Tom. “The History of Charlotte.” Charlotte. https://www.charlottesgotalot.com/articles/history/the-history-of-charlotte. Accessed August 2019. 

Hedley, Olwen. “Queen Charlotte.” London: J. Murray, 1875. (NCR B C479c H455) 

“History Timeline, Rural Beginnings 1730-1772, 1776- The First Mecklenburg County Courthouse.” Charlotte Mecklenburg Story. https://www.cmstory.org/exhibits/history-timeline-rural-beginnings-1730-1772/1766-first-mecklenburg-county-courthouse. Accessed August 2019. 

“History Timeline, Rural Beginnings 1730-1772, 1768- Charlotte Chartered.” Charlotte Mecklenburg Story. https://www.cmstory.org/exhibits/history-timeline-rural-beginnings-1730-1772/1768-charlotte-chartered. Accessed August 2019.  

Jackson, Marshall R., III. “Great Wagon Road.” NCPedia.  https://www.ncpedia.org/great-wagon-road. Accessed August 2019.  

“Queen Charlotte (19 May 1744- 17 November 1818.” The Royal Family. https://www.royal.uk/. Accessed August 2019. 

Valdes y Cocom, Mario de. “The Blurred Racial Lines of Famous Families: Queen Charlotte.” South Carolina etv. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/secret/famous/royalfamily.html.  

Walk-Morris, Tatiana. “Five Things to Know About Queen Charlotte.” Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smartnews-arts-culture/5-things-you-didnt-know-about-queen-charlotte-180967373/. Accessed August 2019.