This marker is located at the corner of 7th Street and Hawthorne Lane, adjacent to Independence…read morePark. It points out the history of a participant in the fight for Civil Rights. The marker reads, "Harry Golden. 1902-1981. Nationally known writer, humorist, & civil rights advocate. Published The Carolina Israelite, 1944-1968. Lived 1 block northeast." There is more information online. "Harry Golden achieved fame as publisher of The Carolina Israelite, which he issued from 1944 to 1968 from Charlotte to an international audience. According to Robin Brabham, retired UNC-Charlotte archivist, "At the height of his appeal, he had two books on the bestseller list at the same time; his life was depicted in a Broadway play; he appeared frequently on television talk shows, including Edward R. Murrow's Person to Person; and he testified before Congress on civil rights legislation."" "Golden used humor and satire to oppose Southern racial and political practices. Martin Luther King Jr. recognized his significance by identifying him as one of "our white brothers who have grasped the meaning of this social revolution and committed themselves to it." "Golden was born Herschel Goldhirsch in the Ukraine, then part of Austria-Hungary. In 1904 his father and his oldest brother immigrated and soon after sent for the rest of the family. Golden grew up in a tenement on New York City's Lower East Side and attended City College. He married Genevieve Gallagher in 1926, and they had four sons. "Failed business ventures led to his guilty plea to mail fraud in October 1929. Sentenced to five years in federal prison, he was released in 1933. In 1941, he moved south, first to Norfolk, then to Charlotte where he worked for the Charlotte Labor Journal, affiliated with the American Federation of Labor. Golden issued the first regular number of The Carolina Israelite in February 1944. The monthly magazine initially carried the subtitle, "A Monthly Review of Jewish Affairs, Dedicated to Interfaith Amity." "In 1955 Golden addressed the North Carolina Literary and Historical Association on "The Jewish People of North Carolina." He came to national attention in 1956 after he testified before the Pearsall Commission that white Southerners did not seem to mind standing with African Americans: "It is only when the Negro 'sets' that the fur begins to fly." Thus, he suggested, public schools could be painlessly integrated by providing desks but no seats. He went on to suggest sixteen more plans that mocked Southern racial mores. "Wide circulation of his "Vertical Negro Plan" soon generated interest in his writing and in 1958 a compilation of his columns, Only in America, appeared on the best seller list. He advised Robert Kennedy in his 1964 and 1968 campaigns for the U. S. Senate and the Democratic presidential nomination. He continued to publish the Israelite until 1968 when he closed the paper. In 1979 he received the North Carolina Award for Literature. He is buried in Hebrew Cemetery in Charlotte." There is brief parking across the way at the pizza place. [Review 11 of 2025 - 4013 in North Carolina - 23584 overall]

This marker is located on the south side of Gateway Park and points out the history of a local…read morecitizen's bravery. The marker reads, "Lt. Samuel I. Parker. One of two North Carolinians awarded Medal of Honor for valor in World War I (France, 1918). Born 1 block southeast." Online, there is more information. "Robert L. Blackwell of Hurdle Mills in Person County and Samuel I. Parker of Monroe in Union County were the only North Carolinians to receive the Medal of Honor for service in World War I. The award, the military's highest, is for "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty." Since the medal's creation during the Civil War, over 3,400 men and one woman have been so cited, thirty-three from North Carolina and eight of those in World War II." "Samuel Iredell Parker (nicknamed Si for his initials), a descendant of Supreme Court Justice James Iredell and Governor Abner Nash, attended the University of North Carolina, leaving for military service just prior to graduation in 1917. Part of the First Infantry Division of the American Expeditionary Force, he served on the front lines in France." "The deed for which Parker was cited took place on July 18, 1918, near Soissons, when he advanced directly into machine gun fire, killing the gunner with his pistol. During World War II he trained troops at Fort Benning, penned a manual entitled Follow Me, and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. Upon retirement in 1956, Parker moved from New York to Concord, his wife's hometown. He died on December 1, 1975, and is buried in Concord's Oakwood Cemetery." https://www.yelp.com/biz/oakwood-cemetery-concord?hrid=-QMFGcjN_VroHWLEfgrZtw [Review 15472 overall, 976 of 2021, number 3016 in North Carolina.]

The name seemed familiar and so it is. I reviewed a marker with the same text last year that was up…read morein Raleigh, 125 miles from here: https://www.yelp.com/biz/leonidas-l-polk-historical-marker-raleigh?hrid=DnjP_pjQxiTmerbBeG_Jzw. The marker reads, "President of National Farmers' Alliance, 1889-1892; began Progressive Farmer, 1886; a founder of N.C.S.U. and Meredith College. Was born here." Online, there is more. "Leonidas LaFayette Polk was a nationally known farmer, editor and politician in the late nineteenth century. Polk founded The Progressive Farmer in 1886, and served as the president of the National Farmers' Alliance between 1889 and 1892. He contributed to the founding of what is now North Carolina State University in 1887 and Baptist Female University (present-day Meredith College) in 1891. Polk helped create the state Department of Agriculture and was the first Commissioner of Agriculture. He was the 1892 Populist Party presidential candidate but died before the general election." [Review 12280 overall, 2064 of 2019.]

Celriver Legacy Plaza in Rock Hill offers a thoughtful tribute to the workers and industrial legacy…read moreof the Celanese Celriver plant, which operated from 1948 to 2005. Located near the Riverwalk YMCA and Giordana Velodrome, the plaza features interpretive signage, sculptures, and a South Carolina Historical Marker that collectively honor the plant's contributions to the region. The site once housed a massive synthetic fiber operation with its own utilities and infrastructure, making it one of the largest employers in the area. Reading about its history was genuinely fascinating. Especially how the plant's presence shaped the economic development of Rock Hill and the greater Charlotte region. Beyond its physical memorials, the Celriver Legacy Project extended its impact through scholarships at Winthrop University and York Technical College, supporting descendants of former employees and students from nearby counties. The plaza stands not just as a monument to industrial achievement, but as a reminder of the community spirit and economic vitality that defined a generation of workers and helped fuel growth across the Carolinas. An interesting stop when in the area. [Review 1419 of 2025 - 1359 in South Carolina - 24970 overall]

This marker is on a tall pole outside the guard's shack that is at the entrance to the university…read more There is no parking here but I was able to briefly stop to read the marker and the guard didn't mind though he probably thought I was crazy. Like most North Carolina markers, the text on the marker is brief. It reads, "Est. in 1867 as Biddle Memorial Institute for freedmen. Became a university, 1877. Present name adopted in 1923." Online, there is more information. "Established in 1867 by the Presbyterian Church, modern-day Johnson C. Smith University was known from that year until 1876 as Biddle Memorial Institute. Samuel C. Alexander, minister at Steele Creek Presbyterian Church, took a lead role in the establishment of a school "for the education of preachers and teachers among the ex-slaves, realizing that only in this way could they be fitted for Christian citizenship." Around 3,000 former slaves lived in Mecklenburg County in 1867. Stephen Mattoon was the first president, presiding over the school for fourteen years. "Mary D. Biddle of Philadelphia raised $1,400 for the new school and selected the name to honor her late husband, Major Henry Biddle. W. R. Myers, a wealthy Charlotte businessman, donated the first eight acres of land on Beatties Ford Road for the campus. In 1876 the state legislature formally chartered the school at which time the name was changed to Biddle University. Biddle Hall, the centerpiece of the campus, was completed in 1884. The first African American president was Daniel Sanders, who served in the position from 1891 until his death in 1907. "In 1921 and 1922, Jane Berry Smith of Pittsburgh donated funds for a theological dormitory, science building, teachers' cottage, and memorial gate. In addition she established an endowment in memory of her late husband, Johnson C. Smith. In recognition of her gifts, trustees voted to rename the institution. Consequently, the charter was amended to reflect the new name in 1923. James B. Duke, the tobacco magnate, included the school as a beneficiary of the Duke Endowment, created in 1924, putting in place an affiliation that has benefitted the university greatly over the years. "In 1932 women first enrolled at JCSU. Today the school retains its affiliation with the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, reporting to its General Assembly through the Board of Christian Education. Since 1944 JCSU has been associated with the United Negro College Fund." This is marker number L-101 and it was erected in 2022 by the North Carolina Office of Archives and History. [Review 2551 of 2024 - 4003 in North Carolina - 23562 overall]

Camp Green was a US Army training camp here. In 1917, both the 3rd Infantry Division and the 4th…read moreInfantry Divisions were first organized and assembled at this camp. It was named for Revolutionary War hero Nathanael Green. Major General Greene was the Continental Army major general who forced the British out of the Carolinas. Charlotte was selected over other cities due to the land, weather, and infrastructure to accommodate a camp, as well as a location on a major rail line, giving the city a logistical edge in transporting soldiers and munitions to New York City for the eventual trip abroad. Camp Greene is a massive facility by early 20th-century standards. Its 2,500 acres of forest and cotton fields, bought from families like James Dowd, are eventually expanded to 6,000 acres, which stretch from the cusp of downtown, on what is now Wilkinson Boulevard, west to the Catawba River and Gaston County. There is plenty of room to dig five miles of trenches, to simulate the preferred method of ground combat in Europe. At its peak, more than 60,000 soldiers live on base. The 41st Infantry Division, which trains for 16 weeks, is the first to ship off to France as part of the American Expeditionary Force, followed by the 3rd and 4th Divisions. Today, the only camp remnants that survive are the Dowd family's farmhouse -- now designated as a historic site -- and a couple of rectangular barracks that are converted into permanent housing. And this marker at the corner of Wilkinson and Monument Street. The marker was erected by the Mecklenburg Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. It lists the names of the different brigades trained her and the dates, July 12 1917 to June 30, 1919. [Review 16684 overall - 3189 in North Carolina - 196 of 2022.]

Located at the entrance of Elizabeth Park, this bronze statue is dedicated to a local hero that…read moremost Americans will not be familiar with. That person is Captain James Jack. He delivered the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence to Congress in Philadephia. This document declaring independence from Great Britain was signed by citizens of Mecklenburg County (a county that includes Charlotte and nearby cities) on May 20, 1775. Notice that this predates the more well known 1776 Declaration of Independence signed by the 13 colonies. It's a nice statue and I learned an interesting bit of history by stumbling upon it.

No, it's not Paul Revere. It's Captain James Jack!…read more According to local legend, a band of local patriots met on May 19, 1775 and drafted a set of Resolves that outlined the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence. The documents declared that the actions of the British government were intolerable and that Mecklenburg County was no longer under British rule. You'll note that this was BEFORE July 4, 1776. At the time, he was a tavern owner but Captain Jack courageously volunteered to take these powerful documents on the journey from Charlotte to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. His actions were a risk to everything, all for the rights and protections that we take for granted today. If he'd been captured, the documents would certainly have led to his death as a traitor. But he made it and this was no doubt a part of the impetus towards the famous Declaration of Independence that all those other people signed. This statue is in Elizabeth Park, at the corner of Kings Drive and 4th Street, not far from Uptown Charlotte. And the Olde Mecklenburg Brewery on South Tryon has a beer named in his honor. Try it, it's tasty stuff! Round number review! #6400!

I love the markers, Statues, the history I love the city of Charlotte, I want to go back.read more

Many not be aware of the city of Charlotte's history during the Revolutionary War. You know, the…read moreone with the British when we fought for independence? Well, right here in Uptown, a battle was fought with those British and caused the general to write in a letter back to London that Charlotte was "a hornet's nest of rebellion activity." The marker reads: "Cornwallis's army captured Charlotte after a fight here with Davie's troops, Sept. 26, 1780." Much more information is in the link above.