This marker is located at the very center of Uptown Charlotte. It's easily accessible if you're on…read morefoot but there is limited parking near here. The marker points out an important hero of the American Revolution. It reads, "Nathanael Greene. 1742-1786. Replaced Horatio Gates as leader of American army opposing Lord Cornwallis. He assumed command in Charlotte, Dec. 3, 1780." It is marker number L-19 and it was erected in 1987 by the 1987 by Division of Archives and History. Major General Nathanael Greene, known as the Fighting Quaker, played a pivotal role in the American Revolution and has a direct connection to Charlotte. After General Horatio Gates suffered a devastating defeat at Camden in August 1780, Greene was appointed by George Washington to lead the Southern Army. He officially assumed command in Charlotte on December 3, 1780, where he found a struggling force of militia and Continental soldiers camped near what is now Camp New Providence*. Greene's leadership marked a turning point in the Southern campaign, and his strategic persistence helped drive British forces out of the Carolinas. His legacy is honored in North Carolina through sites like Camp Greene** in Charlotte and the city of Greensboro, both named in his memory. * Camp New Providence Historical Marker: https://www.yelp.com/biz/camp-new-providence-historical-marker-weddington?hrid=zYYZKedqE7ffaCLpA9OfXA ** Camp Greene Memorial https://www.yelp.com/biz/camp-greene-memorial-charlotte?hrid=9IWHxUmRQU90o774VJyGPA [Review 1424 of 2025 - 4495 in North Carolina - 24975 overall]

The marker is on the east side of the Bank of America stadium, inside the gates. You'll be able to…read moresee the marker from outside but probably not read it unless you have a ticket for a game. It points out what was here before it was a ballpark. The marker has the same text on both sides. It reads, "Good Samaritan Hospital. 1891-1961. Site of the first independent private hospital in North Carolina built exclusively for African Americans. Established by Jane Renwick Smedberg Wilkes of St. Peter's Episcopal Church. One of the oldest black hospitals then in operation in the U.S." In 1961, ownership was transferred to the City of Charlotte and the facility was renamed Charlotte Community Hospital. It continued operating until 1982, when it was converted into a rest home. Ultimately, in 1996, the building was demolished to make way for the stadium. [Review 518 of 2025 - 4118 in North Carolina - 24079 overall]

The historical marker reads, "Founder of the nation's first textile factory owned and operated by…read moreblacks, 1897-1904. Mill building is 350 yds. N." It is by the side of the road with no easy parking. Of course, the more information can be found online. "The Coleman Manufacturing Company in Concord represented the first major cooperative effort by North Carolina's African American businessmen and was the first textile operation in the nation owned and operated by blacks. Considerable public attention went to the mill during its relatively short period of operation." "Equipment testing began in late 1898 and full production of cotton yarn a year later. The mill at its peak employed 300 black workers. At the 1900 Exposition Universal in Paris, France, the factory was billed as "the only Negro cotton mill in the U.S." Industry-wide economic troubles forced Coleman to resign in December 1903. Benjamin N. Duke foreclosed on the mortgage in April 1904. Later a section of the mill built by Coleman was operated as Plant No. 9 of Cannon Mills Company." [Review 13180 overall, 497 of 2020.]

This marker is at a bend in the US Highway 29 and points out some postal history. Everything had to…read morebe first, this first happened here in China Grove. The marker reads, "Rural Free Delivery. The first mail over an R.F.D. route in N.C. was carried out of China Grove, October 23, 1896." The online essay has more information. It reads, "In 1896, following the initiatives of Postmaster General William L. Wilson, North Carolina developed a Rural Free Delivery (RFD) route for mail. Postal service via RFD included the delivery of all postal items, free of charge, to citizens at their homes, eliminating the need to visit the local post office. The first such route in North Carolina operated from China Grove in Rowan County on October 23, 1896. "Mail service began in North Carolina in the 1730s as the colonial government extended postal routes through the Carolinas to Charleston. Following the Revolutionary War, there were only four post offices in North Carolina, in the major port cities. By 1851, the number of post offices had increased to nearly 800. North Carolinians had become accustomed to regular postal services, which were operated by the local postmaster who established an office, either in a local public building or in a house, and from there local citizens regularly collected their mail. "Following Wilson's proposal during the second administration of President Grover Cleveland, China Grove, a small community near Salisbury, began experimenting with the development of a mail delivery route. Salisbury politician John S. Henderson, a Congressman who served as chairman of the Committee on Post Offices and Postroads during the late 1890s, pushed for the experiment in Rowan County. Under the direction of J. Bruner Goodnight, China Grove's postmaster, a Rural Free Delivery route was established. Goodnight was discouraged at the lack of public interest and commitment to the project, and resigned shortly thereafter. "In 1896 a new Postmaster, J.C. Deaton, developed two test routes from the China Grove office. Initially only two citizens, C. A. Linn of Landis and Martin Blackwelder of Kannapolis, were willing to accept the service. Local skepticism for the mail delivery stemmed from concerns about theft and reliability. Deaton, with two assistants, canvassed the area around China Grove, pleading for local residents to try the system. The new routes covered approximately eighteen miles in Rowan County, and were slowly expanded as citizen began to trust the RFD system. Although development was slow, today's postal system derives from the scheme first tested out in North Carolina in China Grove in 1896." This is marker number L-17. There isn't much for parking nearby. [Review 1144 of 2024 - 3639 in North Carolina - 22168 overall]

Located along Cabarrus Avenue and in front of the college that is still standing, this marker gives…read moresome background on the founding of this educational institution. The marker reads, "Presbyterian. Est. 1867 by Luke Dorland to educate Negro women, Scotia Seminary merged in 1930 with Barber Memorial Institute. Coed since 1954." It is marker number L-102 and it was erected in 2001 by the North Carolina Office of Archives and History. The institution that became Barber-Scotia College began as a parochial school modeled on Mount Holyoke and dedicated to training Black women as teachers and social workers. It grew steadily after its 1870 charter, adding land, buildings, and enrollment, evolved into a women's college in the early twentieth century, merged with Barber Memorial Institute in 1930, achieved junior-college accreditation in 1934, advanced to a four-year college with its first bachelor's degrees awarded in 1945, and later opened its doors to all students while maintaining its historic church affiliation despite significant financial and accreditation challenges in recent decades. There is parking across the street and of course, you can park on the campus too. [Review 670 of 2026 - 4756 in North Carolina - 25851 overall]

After reading up on the history of the Flood of 1916, it's no surprise that there is a historical…read moremarker to commemorate this tragic event. It's a good spot for the marker as we're right next to the Catawba here. First, the marker which reads: "Devastated western N.C. and western Piedmont; destroyed homes, crops, mills, bridges. Ten lives lost, July 16, in washout of trestle 1 mile south." From websites, "Decades before hurricanes had names, when weather wasn't forecast so much as it was broadcast, it rained for a solid week over western North Carolina. And then it rained again, harder than it had ever rained before."

I did not realize that Charlotte had its own Vietnam War Memorial. But we do and it is located near…read moreUptown in the Thompson Park with the St. Mary's Chapel. It is easily accessible from the Sugar Creek Greenway. Thousands of men and women came from all parts of Mecklenburg County to serve their country. 105 gave their lives in the cause. This memorializes their sacrifices. The crescent shaped granite memorial is 270 feet long and reads as a historical timeline of the war. It also includes a map of Southeast Asia and list the names of those who died. Poems from Vietnam veterans are also featured. Stop by. It's quite powerful. [Review 11547 overall, 1327 of 2019.]

A simple bridge that crosses the South Fork of the Catawba River, this new bridge was completed in…read more2014 and connects Lakewood Road and North Main Street, a popular corridor from Cramerton to U.S. 74, Belmont, Charlotte and other points east. The bridge is 40 feet wide and is 444 feet long. One lane in each direction with a pedestrian/bicycle space on each side. It's named after local mill executive C.C. Dawson, who died in 1965. It replaces the original bridge that was dismantled in 2012 and cost $160,000. This new bridge ran to $4m. [Review 116 of 2025 - 4085 in North Carolina - 23683 overall]