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Gold boom still echoes in vital Charlotte
Sunday, February 18, 2001 By Stephanie Fletcher
Can you answer the following trivia question?
Afro-American Cultural Center, 401 N. Myers St. (on 7th Street between Davidson and McDowell) 704-374-1565 -- A repository of African American culture which offers exhibitions, performances, workshops, and hands-on activities
Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, 130 N. Tryon St., 704-333-4686; box office 704-372-1000 -- A large complex that features plays, operas, dance and orchestral performances.
Charlotte Coliseum, 101 Paul Buck Blvd., 704-357-4700 -- The "hive of the Charlotte Hornets" hosts NBA basketball games, concerts, family shows.
Lowes Motor Speedway, Concord, N.C.; tours 704-455-3204; events and tickets 704-455-3200 -- A track complex only 16 miles north of Charlotte, this site of famous Nascar racing events also offers tours and track rides.
Charlotte Museum of History & Hezekiah Alexander Homesite, 3500 Shamrock Drive, 704-568-1774 -- Built in 1774, the Alexander Homesite offers exhibits, programs and special events.
Discovery Place, 301 N. Tryon St., 800-935-0553 -- An award-winning, hands-on science museum which features an Omnimax theater, planetarium, aquariums, permanent exhibits (Rain Forest, Life Center, Science Circus), and traveling exhibits.
Ericsson Stadium, 800 S. Mint St., tickets 704-358-7800 -- Home of the Charlotte Panthers NFL football team.
Mint Museum of Art, 2730 Randolph Road, 704-337-2000 -- One of the premiere fine arts museums of the Southeast, this historical landmark features one of the best porcelain and pottery collections in America and an extraordinary pre-Columbian gallery.
Museum of Craft & Design, 220 N. Tryon St., 704-337-2000 -- The newest museum in Charlotte features artworks made in the craft tradition. Objects fashioned from glass, wood, pottery and textiles are spotlighted.
James K. Polk Memorial, Highway 521, Box 475, Pineville, NC 28134; 704-889-7145 -- The birthplace of the 11th president provides a visitors' center and museum in addition to guided tours through reconstructed log dwellings furnished with period artifacts.
Museum of the New South, 324 N. College St., 704-333-1887 -- A regional history museum which focuses on the New South period.
Paramount's Carowinds, 14523 Carowinds Blvd., 704-588-2600 -- A 100-acre theme park which straddles the North Carolina / South Carolina line and is packed with roller coasters, water rides, shows and attractions.
Reed Gold Mine State Historic Site, 9621 Reed Mine Road, Stanfield, NC 28163, 704-721-4653 -- Location of America's first gold discovery which includes a museum, film, guided tours, and walking trails. Gold panning experience available for a small fee.
For more information:
Charlotte Convention and Visitors Bureau, 800-231-4636 or www.charlottecvb.org.
The first gold rush in the United States occurred in:
(a) Northern California
(b) The Piedmont of North Carolina
(c) The Badlands of South Dakota
(d) The Everglades of Florida
If you answered "(b)," congratulations!
It is a little-known fact that the Carolina Piedmont -- a wide hilly swath of land that separates mountainous terrain from flat coastal plain from Virginia to Georgia -- was a destination for a flood of prospectors in the early 1830s. Gold fever pulled hordes of miners South almost 20 years before it propelled them West.
Charlotte, N.C., sat right in the middle of one of the richest regions in the territory. During the digging and panning frenzy of the mid-1800s, underground mines, shallow pits and creeks within a 100-mile radius of town yielded tons of gold dust, nuggets and gold-rich ore. The rubble from mining operations (which still possessed traces of precious metal) was used as a foundation for Charlotte's original roads, so one could say the city's streets were paved with gold.
In a way, that's still true, since Charlotte eclipsed San Francisco to become -- after New York City -- the second-largest banking center in America.
As a result of mergers and acquisitions the area called "Metrolina" now provides a home base for two of the country's 10 major banks: Bank of America and First Union. Sleek corporate headquarters of financial institutions line Tryon Street and give the skyline a grand modern profile. The Bank of America skyscraper is topped with a futuristic crown of spires and at 60 stories is among the tallest buildings in the Southeast. The towering edifice serves as a symbol for an ambitious and industrious citizenry.
Early in her history Charlotte was a bustling 19th-century boomtown. The "Queen City" -- named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg Sterlitz, the German-born wife of the English monarch George III -- has recaptured that image, emerging as one of the most energetic and prosperous cities of the New South.
Thriving economic conditions and a world-class international airport in combination with a temperate climate and a tree-rich natural beauty have created a magnet for relocating corporate giants.
Tourists are discovering the city's charms, too. Visitors to this attractive and flourishing metropolis will enjoy the vitality of the place as well as efforts being made to welcome and entertain them.
The Reed farm was located in Cabarras County, about 40 miles from the sleepy little hamlet of Charlotte, N.C. On a sunny Sunday in the spring of 1799, three of John Reed's children played hooky from church to go bow fishing in Little Meadow Creek. Twelve-year-old Conrad Reed spied something glinting on the stony creek bottom. The boy waded into the shallow water, dislodged the heavy shiny rock, lugged the 17-pound nugget home and showed it to his father.
John Reed had no concept of the nugget's value. In his native land, Germany, all found gold automatically belonged to the king. He was a retired military man and a farmer, not a metallurgist. Although he suspected the rock might be gold he did not know how to find out if it was for sure. For three years the family used the attractive natural wonder as a doorstop.
In 1802, Reed took the nugget to Fayetteville, N.C. A jeweler in that coastal city immediately recognized the value of the precious object and asked the farmer to name his price. John asked the princely sum of $3.50 -- the equivalent of a week's wages in those days -- and was amazed when the jeweler paid him on the spot. Records of this transaction document the first authenticated gold find in America.
The jeweler quickly resold the gold nugget for $3,600 -- about 20 years' wages. But rather than being dismayed when he heard the fantastic sum that got away, Reed was elated. He figured where there was one such nugget, there should be more gold. An association of part-time miners panning for gold on Reed's property recovered about $100,000 worth of gold by 1824.
News of Reed's good fortune leaked out and soon the North Carolina gold rush was on in earnest. It proved both difficult and risky to transport the extremely heavy and costly commodity hundreds of miles north to the federal mint in Philadelphia, so folks in the area petitioned Congress to solve their dilemma. As a result, in 1837, the first branch of the United States Mint was built in Charlotte (the building now functions as an art museum).
In the late 1840s the much richer California fields pulled most serious mining operations to the West Coast, however, before the outbreak of the Civil War, the Carolina Piedmont mines produced approximately one million dollars worth of gold a year. The gold mining industry also drew settlers and establish a healthy nucleus for the city of Charlotte, which is now the largest population center between Washington, DC, and Atlanta.
Visitors to the modern boomtown of Charlotte are still welcomed to try their hands at panning for gold. The Reed Gold Mine is about a 45-minute drive from the city center and is open to the public. In an outdoor spot next to the mine a hopeful miner will be provided with a bucket of gravel and instructions in how to pan for gold in a water-filled wooden sluicing trough.
If gold mining does not strike your fancy, dozens of other activities and attractions will reward the traveler who is prospecting for fun in and around Charlotte. The city has become a mecca for history buffs, sports enthusiasts, art lovers and thrill-seekers alike.
The Afro-American Cultural Center, James K. Polk Birthplace and Hezekiah Alexander Homesite offer glimpses into the past. Lowes Motor Speedway, Charlotte Coliseum and Ericsson Stadium provide sports fans with exciting opportunities. And the city provides the Mecklenburg Aquatic Center, public golf courses and tennis courts, and scenic biking and running courses for folks who are do-it-yourselfers. The Mint Museum of Art not only owns the distinction of being housed in the historically significant original Charlotte Mint building but also was also the first art museum in North Carolina.
It contains one of the finest collections of porcelain objects in the United States. The newest art museum on the scene, the Mint Museum of Craft & Design, opened in January 1999. This distinctive resource showcases works in glass, ceramics, wood, metal and fabrics. The Blumenthal Performing Arts Center calendar includes opera, plays, ballet and orchestral performances. Children of all ages will enjoy the hands-on Discovery Place science museum and the rides and shows at the Paramount's Carowinds theme park.
So, if you are on the lookout for a weekend destination with a gold mine of things to see and do, try your luck in Charlotte. You might strike it rich.
The eating establishments listed below are located in uptown Charlotte or within a 10-minute drive of the city center.
Bistro 100 at Founder's Hall, 100 N. Tryon St., 704-344-0515 -- A convenient spot for dinner or dessert after a performance at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center. A wood-burning stove imparts a unique flavor to roasted meats.
Blue Marlin, 1511 East Blvd., 704-334-3838 -- A place known for Low Country cuisine like shrimp and savory Cajun sausage gravy served over grits. A popular lunchtime gathering spot for politicos and local celebrities.
Carpe Diem, 401 E. Trade St., 704-377-7976 -- Expect an Asian influence in the interesting, tasty fusion cuisine served at this stylish place.
LaVecchia's Seafood Grill, 225 E. 6th St., 704-370-6776 -- The name says it all -- grilled seafood is the specialty.
Monticello, 235 N. Tryon St., 704-342-1193 -- This intimate restaurant is located in the charming Dunhill Hotel. A favorite spot for romantic dinners. Food and service are excellent.
Patou French Bistro, 2400 Park Road, in the Courtyard, 704-376-2233 -- The simple and unpretentious decor belies the elegance of the food prepared here. Try the Waterzooi, a Belgian casserole of seafood morsels in a creamy herbed broth.
Pewter Rose, 1820 South Blvd., 704-332-8149 -- A longtime favorite with locals, this place is well-known for its funky decor and inspired food. Great for lunch.
Palomino Grill, 525 N. Tryon St., 704-373-9499 -- A classy interior featuring hand-blown glass chandeliers and marble tabletops sets the tone -- cosmopolitan and chic. A place to see and be seen.
Stephanie Fletcher is a free-lance writer from Charlotte.
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