Where Charlotte's past lives in bronze
Plus: Top news of the week — Armed teachers in private schools; $25M NASCAR Hall of Fame upgrade proposal advances; Six Flags CEO to step down; DMV audit reveals long waits; new Teen Talk!
Good morning! Today is Saturday, August 9, 2025. You’re reading The Charlotte Ledger.
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This week in The Charlotte Ledger, we have a special treat for you: a series of articles called “Walking Through Charlotte’s History” by Lawrence Toppman. This series explores Charlotte’s past through the places where history still lingers. By walking through these public spaces, we uncover the people, stories and contradictions that shaped the city and continue to influence how we think of it.
FRIDAY: A vintage mall outlasted the rest—still quirky, still local, still unmistakably Charlotte. (🔒)
SATURDAY: Larger-than-life statues tell overlooked stories along a greenway where the past quietly lingers.
Charlotte’s Trail of History uses statues and markers along Little Sugar Creek Greenway to vividly showcase the city’s rich and diverse past
Composer-arranger Loonis McGlohon sits in Elizabeth Park, with nary a word nearby to tell trail-walkers who he was. We were friends, so he asked me to mention that. (Photos by Lawrence Toppman)
by Lawrence Toppman
I chatted about the Charlotte music scene with my old friend Loonis McGlohon recently, as we sat in Elizabeth Park. He didn’t say anything, being bronze, but he had the same twinkle in his eyes as he did when Spirit Square named its main performance space McGlohon Theater 27 years ago.
That’s one of the best things about the Trail of History, which bills itself as Charlotte’s only outdoor history museum: It really catches the moods of the people represented.
There sits Loonis, hands hovering over a half-sized piano keyboard and face wreathed in a grin, as if he and his trio were about to back some famed jazz singer. (Darned if I could find his historical marker, which allegedly looks like this, within 30 yards in any direction.)
Over Loonis’ shoulder, you see the weary back of Annie Alexander, the first accredited female doctor in North Carolina, clutching a bag and getting ready to start her horse-and-buggy rounds. At the top of a rise nearby, resolute Capt. James Jack and his panting steed bolt toward Philadelphia to deliver the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence.
Eleven such statues await you along or near the urban portion of Little Sugar Creek Greenway, a stretch of 1.3 miles running parallel to Kings Drive from Morehead Street to Seventh Street. The nonprofit project, which also holds an annual festival, intends to install 10 more, probably following the current batch with married educators George and Marie Davis. Painter and collage artist Romare Bearden is also on the shortlist put together by local historians.
I’d guess most of us know the name of William Henry Belk, who opened The New York Racket Store in Monroe in 1887 — he billed it as “the cheapest store on Earth” — before joining brother John M. Belk to build the largest privately owned department store chain in America. He holds scissors in his right hand and leans on a bolt of cloth, a tribute to humble beginnings as a cutter.
I hope many of us have heard of attorney Julius LeVonne Chambers, a crusader for civil and labor rights who successfully argued eight cases before the U.S. Supreme Court; he’s caught in mid-stride, en route to another courtroom. James B. Duke, who developed the first mass-produced cigarette in America and started the electric company that evolved into Duke Energy, should be familiar. He founded the Duke Endowment out of his Myers Park mansion in 1924, but the impassive face and hand jammed in his pants pocket say, “No money today!”
Yet who recalls Jane Renwick Smedberg Wilkes, who led the effort to build Charlotte’s first two civilian hospitals? One was Good Samaritan, the first N.C. hospital dedicated to the care of African-Americans. Who knows the full story of Thaddeus Lincoln Tate, who leveraged white business contacts over 40 years at his Uptown Barber Shop to create opportunities for blacks, including the first free Southern public library branch for African-Americans and the first office building for black businesses and professionals in Charlotte?
Along the Trail of History (left to right): Devoted friends Thomas Spratt and King Hagler, chief of the Catawbas during the colonial period, stand together; this proud Victorian, Jane Renwick Smedberg Wilkes, crusaded to create Good Samaritan Hospital, the first N.C. hospital dedicated to the needs of African-Americans; Businessman and philanthropist Philip L. Van Every — the “L” stands for “Lance” — holds a Toast-Chee cracker from his family’s factory.
My favorite sculptures made me smile. The Thompson Orphanage and Training Institute tableau depicts kids and adults, pants rolled up, headed for a swimmin’ hole. Thomas Spratt and Catawba Nation chief King Hagler (sometimes spelled Haigler), longtime friends allied during the Revolutionary War, seem sternly dignified — until you observe Spratt’s “blown-off” hat on a nearby boulder. Look closely at the right hand of industrialist/philanthropist Philip Lance Van Every: The two-term mayor offers you a Toast-Chee from the family business. (Note his middle name.)
You find details like that if you take the time, lazily enjoying the shade of the greenway and drinking in the sound of sluggishly moving water. (At one point, cicadas drowned it out.) You don’t always see the water and can easily get down to it only in a few places, one of them a spot where a terraced waterfall seems to flow out of nowhere.
I used the Seek app developed by iNaturalist to identify such exotic (to me) plants as a Chinese parasol tree, a black tupelo tree, Asiatic dayflowers and dense stands of pickleweed. It also identifies insects, including dragonflies that buzzed this human intruder.
The Rain Forest Garden on Zeiss Green, located near Central Piedmont, provides a welcome respite from walking on a hot day. Plants are identified on a plaque nearby.
I split my trip into two visits, so I wouldn’t have a 2.6-mile round-trip stroll along a path where the only public bathroom facility was padlocked and dark. I parked for free at the Metropolitan, which offers multiple greenway access points, and in a lot off Elizabeth Avenue between Kings Drive and McDowell Street. That one gives the best access to Alexander, McGlohon and Jack, off the path marked “to Zeiss Green.” (Sit at the top and savor the compact rain garden.)
Be aware that Hagler and Spratt stand far from the other statues, in front of Central Piedmont Community College’s Van Every building at Seventh Street. Know that you have to cross the water at the other end to find Wilkes; she’s in the Robert Haywood Morrison Gardens at Morehead and Harding Place.
And take time as you ramble to read markers about stream reclamation and historical landmarks. As I stood near the Van Every statue (not the building), I realized the Catawba had been there in the 1600s, Scots-Irish settlers in the 1700s — the Hezekiah Alexander House is five miles away — and the Thompson Orphanage in the 1800s, teaching kids to farm and learn trades. (Its St. Mary’s Chapel survives nearby).
In 1959, builders erected the first enclosed mall in the region here, hiding the stream between concrete walls underneath the parking lot. A central fountain, bird cages and tropical foliage entertained visitors to Charlottetown Mall, which changed its name to Midtown Square before being bulldozed in 2006.
A 30-ish woman pushing a stroller stopped next to me to read the marker. “Did you ever hear of Charlottetown Mall?” I asked. She hadn’t. “How about Midtown Square?” She shook her head again. “No,” she said. “That was a long time ago.”
Lawrence Toppman covered the arts for 40 years at The Charlotte Observer before retiring in 2020. Now, he’s back in the critic’s chair for The Charlotte Ledger — look for his reviews several times each month.
➡️ You can be sure each Toppman review goes straight to your inbox by signing up for The Ledger’s Toppman on the Arts newsletter.
Today’s secondary sponsor is Dye Culik, a corporate and litigation law firm based in Charlotte, N.C., representing businesses and franchises in NC, SC, MA and MI.
Teen talk: Build your vocabulary
Impress and delight the young people in your life by using the words they use. The Ledger shows you how in this occasional Saturday feature.
Word: aura
Pronunciation: OR-uh
Definition: Aura refers to a person’s effortless, cool, distinctive presence based on things like their confidence, their style or even just a small gesture or action. A person with a high aura stands out without trying, and people naturally gravitate toward their energy.
Used in a sentence:
“Did you just catch that football with one hand?” “Dude, you’ve got serious aura.”
"She walked in with that aura — like she already knew she was the main character."
“Bro, like 20 people have complimented your outfit today. That’s aura.”
—Eli Banks, age 15
This week in Charlotte: Mecklenburg tightens screws on Brooklyn Village developer; City declines to release minutes of police settlement; Funeral held for Charlotte civil rights attorney; Flight stuck on tarmac overnight
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
Armed teachers in private schools: (Charlotte Observer) Beginning in December, teachers, staff and volunteers at private schools who have a concealed carry permit and training will be able to bring guns on campus, the result of a new state law.
Ardrey Kell band performs with AJR: Pop band AJR invited Ardrey Kell High’s marching band to perform Saturday for the concert’s finale at the PNC Pavilion.
Diocese adds First Amendment defense in Turpin case: (Carolina Journal) The Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte filed a friend-of-the-court brief backing Charlotte Latin School at the North Carolina Supreme Court, arguing that enforcing enrollment contracts protects religious schools’ autonomy under the First Amendment and avoids court entanglement in faith-based issues.
Politics
$25M investment in NASCAR Hall of Fame: (Charlotte Observer) The Charlotte City Council’s economic development committee unanimously advanced a proposal Monday to invest $25M in renovations for the NASCAR Hall of Fame. The full council is expected to vote on the matter in the fall.
Mayor suggests changes for better meetings: (WCNC) In a letter to council members, Mayor Vi Lyles proposed new meeting procedures and rules as a way to rebuild public trust.
Retired deputy enters Mecklenburg sheriff race: (Charlotte Observer) Former Mecklenburg County Chief Deputy Rodney Collins announced his candidacy Thursday for sheriff, joining CMPD Police Sgt. Ricky Robbins and former detention officer Antwain Nance in the race for sheriff.
Stein signs budget bill: (WCNC) Gov. Josh Stein on Wednesday signed a temporary “mini budget” to keep parts of North Carolina’s government funded as full budget negotiations continue.
Local news
James Ferguson laid to rest: (WFAE) A funeral was held Thursday at Park Church for Charlotte civil rights attorney James Ferguson, known for his pivotal role in the 1971 Swann desegregation case and for founding North Carolina’s first integrated law firm.
City declines to release minutes of police settlement: (Ledger🔒) Charlotte officials are refusing to release minutes from closed-door meetings on the $305,000 settlement with Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings.
DMV audit reveals long waits and understaffing across NC: (WRAL) A new state audit shows the average wait time at NC Division of Motor Vehicles offices has climbed more than 15% since 2019, now averaging over 75 minutes.
Flight stuck on tarmac overnight: (WCNC) A United Airlines flight from Newark to Charlotte was delayed on the tarmac for hours overnight, with passengers unable to deplane until around 3 a.m. Thursday.
Business
Former Epicentre still struggling post-rebrand: (Charlotte Observer) Despite two years of renovations, Queen City Quarter in uptown, formerly the Epicentre, continues to face low foot traffic and vacant storefronts.
Compass grows N.C. footprint: Compass has acquired longtime Charlotte brokerage Cottingham Chalk, bringing 70 agents and $589M in 2024 sales volume under its national platform to expand its North Carolina presence, according to a press release.
Six Flags CEO to step down: Richard Zimmerman will leave his role by the end of the year, Six Flags announced Wednesday. The company, now headquartered in Charlotte following its merger with Cedar Fair, reported a net loss of $100 million in Q2, citing weather disruptions across key markets.
From the Ledger family of newsletters
Monday
Where Charlotte’s notables and unknowns lie together. Plus: New podcast episode on local BBQ joint; Drive-thru appreciation for foster care advocates
Wednesday (🔒)
A history trail blends myth and memory, celebrating liberty in a city that’s paved over its past. Plus: City declines to release minutes of police settlement; Local nonprofit offers free bikes, repairs, lessons
Friday (🔒)
Park Road Shopping Center: a brick time capsule of Charlotte’s shopping past. Plus: Mecklenburg County tightens screws on Brooklyn Village developer; East Charlotte City Council candidates debate
Transit Time
In Plaza Midwood, doubts about the streetcar: The transit plan includes $845M for Gold Line extensions. But as a November vote looms, some merchants fear the construction could doom their businesses — and erase the neighborhood’s funky vibe.
Fútbol Friday
Charlotte FC’s star midfielder Pep Biel suffered a hamstring injury during the Leagues Cup, sidelining him for four to six weeks and dealing a major blow to the team’s playoff push as coach Dean Smith took responsibility for the team’s early tournament exit amid personal challenges.
Real Estate Whispers
Mecklenburg commissioners voted to stop negotiations with The Peebles Corp. after years of delays and a missed demolition deadline for the former Board of Education building. Lawsuits are likely.
Thank you Lawrence Toppman for a educational and whimsy walk through Park Road Shopping Center and the “trail of bronze “ I’m so happy I get to read your stores and reviews in The Charlotte Ledger, thank you,,, AnnDavis
Did you cover the public hearing this week on the transit plan and sales tax increase?