Synopses & Reviews
Charlotte, The Queen City” of North Carolina, was named in honor of King George IIIs wife, Queen Charlotte, and continues to be an important player in American history. From her early days as a pre-revolutionary hotbed of ideology to her modern incarnation as the nations second-largest financial center, Charlotte is fascinating. See this southern belle in all of her past and present glory in Charlotte Then and Now. Discover Charlottes beloved landmarks, past and present, in this unique tour of the Hornets Nest,” a nickname bestowed on the rambunctious city by British general Cornwallis. Sports fans take note: Charlottes pre-revolutionary legacy lives on in the NBAs Hornets. Stop by the corner of Trade and Tryon Streets, better known as The Square.” It was at this intersectionwhere the original East-West Trading path crossed with the Great Wagon Roadthat modern Charlotte began to take shape. Spare any change? Before the California Gold Rush, Charlotte was a major gold town and even had its own mint. The Charlotte Mint was active until Confederate soldiers seized it; today the U.S. Mint building is one of Charlottes most popular museums.
About the Author
Brandon Lunsford is a native of Salisbury, North Carolina and has adopted Charlotte as his hometown since 1996. Since 2001 he has worked as a librarian at the James B. Duke Memorial Library, on the campus of Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte. He has served two internships with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission under the supervision of Dr. Dan Morrill, and has also worked with the Charlotte Museum of History. He is currently working on his Masters thesis, focusing on how the city of Charlotte has evolved architecturally and culturally as the railroad and the automobile have affected settlement patterns.