Charlotte’s past, now playing
Plus: Top news of the week — Voters approve transit plan; Democrats gain 10-1 council majority; Charlotte magazine to fold; Hot home decor trends
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Watch 6 key moments in city history come alive through short, AI-generated video clips
By John Short
People often say Charlotte has no history — but loyal Ledger readers know better. While our past isn’t always visible in bricks and mortar, it’s full of colorful, memorable moments.
Much of it survives only in photos, words and imagination. But with new advances in AI video generation, we can bring those stories to life. Imagine seeing George Washington ride through the muddy crossroads that became uptown — or watching Lord Cornwallis fume over this “hornet’s nest of rebellion.”
Here are a few moments from Charlotte’s past, reimagined as short, historically inspired video clips.
These videos came alive via historical prompts given to the AI app Sora, OpenAI’s video generation app for iPhone and Android.
The Sugar Creek War
In the early 1760s — before the Revolution — tensions flared between settlers in the Carolina backcountry and the British officials overseeing their land. When British agents arrived along Sugar Creek to survey property and levy taxes, local leaders like Thomas Polk met them head-on, smashing their surveying instruments in protest.
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Signing of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence
On May 20, 1775, a group of Mecklenburg County patriots supposedly gathered at the courthouse at Trade and Tryon to declare themselves “free and independent” from British rule, more than a year before the national Declaration was signed. Historians still argue over whether it really happened, but the tale has become a cornerstone of Charlotte’s civic identity.
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A ‘hornet’s nest’ of rebellion
In 1780, during the Revolutionary War, British General Charles Cornwallis marched into Charlotte expecting a warm welcome. Instead, his troops ran into fierce resistance from local militia. Frustrated, Cornwallis called the town “a hornet’s nest of rebellion.” The name stuck — and the hornet still stands as a symbol of Charlotte’s fighting spirit.
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Washington calls Charlotte ‘a trifling place’
In 1791, after the Revolutionary War, President George Washington set out on a goodwill tour of the South. When he passed through Charlotte, he spent the night at the home of Thomas Polk, one of the city’s founders, near Trade and Tryon. Despite Polk’s hospitality, Washington later described Charlotte as “a trifling place” — not an insult, just an honest take on a quiet frontier town.
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Gold!
In 1799, 12-year-old Conrad Reed spotted a shiny yellow rock while fishing in Little Meadow Creek, about 20 miles northeast of Charlotte. His family used it as a doorstop for years before a jeweler revealed the truth — it was gold. That discovery kicked off America’s first gold rush, right here in North Carolina.
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President Taft at Meck Dec Day
On May 20, 1909, President William Howard Taft came to Charlotte to celebrate the anniversary of the Meck Dec — the city’s lively tribute to its supposed 1775 declaration of independence. It was a big day for what was still a small town.
The weather didn’t cooperate — rain poured down — but Taft kept smiling as floats rolled past, including one unforgettable car covered entirely in possums. It was a nod to the short-lived “Billy Possum” craze, an attempt to give the new president a mascot to rival his predecessor’s Teddy Bear.
John Short is a freelance writer and co-host of The Charlotte Podcast who loves digging up Charlotte’s past and pondering its future. Say hey when you see him on the streetcar.
Today’s supporting sponsor is Dye Culik, a corporate and litigation law firm based in Charlotte, NC representing businesses and franchises in NC, SC, MA, and MI.
Review: Charlotte-filmed ‘Christy’ won’t necessarily be recognizable to locals
Arts critic Lawrence Toppman this week watched “Christy,” the new Sydney Sweeney-led biopic about professional boxer Christy Martin. Several parts of the movie were filmed in Charlotte, although it wasn’t actually set in the Queen City.
In this review for The Charlotte Ledger, Toppman writes:
By a freak of cinematic timing, two movies shot mostly in Charlotte and its environs opened this fall one month apart.
“Roofman” named us, claimed us, shamed us a little (for failing to catch a crook who lived in a Toys ‘R’ Us building for months) and left us smiling.
“Christy” uses us to impersonate West Virginia, Tennessee, Florida and other spots, never letting the camera settle on a locale that clearly says “Queen City.” If it leaves you with a smile, that will be because you sat through a horrific incident near the end to see the heroine’s final moment of happiness before the credits. But it’s the more interesting film.
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🎥 Watch The Ledger’s team discuss the news of the week, in this 20-minute video:
This week in Charlotte: City wins first Michelin star; Tennis revival planned; Food bank braces for demand; Toppman on the arts, Charlotte FC season ends with playoff loss
On Saturdays, The Ledger sifts through the local news of the week and links to the top articles — even if they appeared somewhere else. We’ll help you get caught up. That’s what Saturdays are for
Education
New members shake up CMS board: (Ledger🔒) Charlitta Hatch and Cynthia Stone ousted incumbents in Districts 1 and 5, while newcomers Shamaiye Haynes and Anna London captured open seats.
Politics
Voters approve $25B transit plan: (Ledger🔒) Mecklenburg residents narrowly passed a decades-long transportation plan that will raise the sales tax by one percentage point to fund rail, bus and road improvements.
City Council results: (Ledger🔒) Democrats swept all four at-large seats and flipped south Charlotte’s District 6, giving them a 10–1 majority on the new council and their strongest control in more than two decades.
N.C. legislator resigns after sex-crime charges: (Associated Press) N.C. Rep. Cecil Brockman, a Democrat from High Point, resigned from the state House on Friday after his arrest on sex-related charges involving a 15-year-old, following bipartisan calls for his departure and a legislative investigation into his conduct.
Local news
The Michelin effect: (Ledger 🔒) Charlotte’s first Michelin star, awarded to Counter-, cements the city’s culinary rise, but experts say the fame could also bring higher prices and a shift toward fine dining.
Food banks brace for crisis: (Axios) “It’s a disaster of a different kind,” said Second Harvest of Metrolina CEO Kay Carter as suspended SNAP benefits leave 138,000 Mecklenburg residents without food aid. The food bank is rolling out more than 20 truckloads of emergency boxes and calling for donations to meet soaring demand.
Business
Charlotte magazine to publish final issue: (Ledger) The nearly 60-year-old lifestyle magazine is shutting down, with its December edition set to be its last. Owned by Georgia-based Morris Communications, the publication has told contributors it will cease operations in the coming weeks.
Brighthouse Financial sold: (Brighthouse Financial) Charlotte-based Brighthouse Financial, one of the nation’s largest annuity and life insurance providers, said it was being acquired by Aquarian Capital, a global investment firm focused on insurance and asset management, for $4.1B. The deal will keep Brighthouse headquartered in Charlotte and operating under its current name.
Sports
Season-ending loss: (Carroll Walton on X) Charlotte FC’s season ended Friday night with a 3-1 loss to New York City FC at Bank of America Stadium, in a decisive Game 3 in the best-of-three playoff series.
Charlotte eyes tennis revival: (Axios) City Council member Malcolm Graham says he’s working to bring back plans for a major tennis and concert venue, potentially at the River District near the airport.
From the Ledger family of newsletters
Hot trends in home décor. Plus: 900+ doctors trained at Atrium’s new surgical hub; Details on Spectrum Center’s updated bag policy; Election resources to prepare for voting tomorrow; New Costco overrun with sample-seekers
Wednesday (🔒)
It’s go time for more rail, buses and roads. Plus: Results of Tuesday’s election; Health insurance costs to spike; How Michelin could change Charlotte; McClatchy layoffs; State issues partial SNAP benefits; County spends $740K on food support
Friday (🔒)
Green space is quickly getting paved over. Plus: Flight cancellations begin at CLT; When new office space might start; Economist bullish on growth; Toppman reviews ‘SIX’; Food banks brace for crisis; Charlotte magazine closing
Ways of Life (🔒)
In memoriam: Ken Sanford, spokesman for the university and the city. Also remembered: Junior League president and board member of various groups; a teacher at Cotswold Elementary School; benefactor to The Ivey Brain Health Center
No king, all queens in ‘SIX’: The musical runs through Sunday at Belk Theater, 130 N. Tryon St.
New office space is coveted, so why isn’t it getting built? Plus: State building code expected to bring changes; Recreational facility pegged for site near uptown; USAA’s growth here; Elizabeth shopping center sells
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