Historic group to restore Settler's Cemetery in uptown
Plus: The news of the week — Cooper out as VP candidate; City-owned historic buildings face demolition; New details in shooting that killed 4 officers; Panthers hire first Black game day DJ
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Historic group seeks to restore Settler’s Cemetery, with the hopes of revitalizing uptown’s first municipal burial ground.
Gravestones like this one from Settler's Cemetery are sitting in storage awaiting preservation and a return to the cemetery. The group planning the work is considering whether to label the stones with QR codes that link to historical information. (Photo courtesy Historic Elmwood Pinewood, Inc.)
by John Short
It’s like a scene ripped from a Hollywood adventure script: historic Charlotte artifacts sit carefully arranged and hidden from public view in a city-owned landscaping facility.
But these stones are certainly real — encased, labeled and arranged neatly in rows or on wooden pallets. They bear the names of some of Charlotte’s most notable early citizens and founding families.
For 25 years, they have awaited repair and a return to the city’s first municipal burial ground.
That reunion is the goal of a new effort by members of a local historic group. They want to bring the historical treasures back into the public eye as a keystone of a beautification effort of Settler’s Cemetery in uptown.
Historic Elmwood Pinewood — an organization dedicated to the preservation of uptown’s cemeteries — has recently launched an initiative to restore the markers and renovate Settler’s Cemetery.
Creating a ‘living museum’: The postage stamp-sized tract in uptown is dense with Charlotte history. It occupies the city block along 5th Street between Church and Poplar across from First Presbyterian Church. The block is chock-full of Charlotte’s important stories, a hidden trove of history in a city that has spent the past century trading in its history for the new and marketable.
“We want to do as much as possible to maintain the historical accuracy of the markers,” says Jim Thomson, a volunteer with the cemetery group. “We want to create a living museum where Charlotteans new and old can read the stones, understand more about the history of the individuals buried there, and create an enjoyable public space.”
Settler’s Cemetery pre-dates the establishment of Charlotte in 1768. The city block was used as a graveyard for Charlotte’s first colonial settlers.
Gravesites in the site date as far back as 1776 and include Charlotte luminaries like founding father Thomas Polk (great-uncle to U.S. President James K. Polk), as well as family names one might recognize from uptown street signs like Davidson, Wilkinson and Caldwell.
The site is an important one for historic and preservation-minded groups throughout the city.
“Settlers’ Cemetery tells the story of Charlotte’s founding. By preserving this history, we can learn from the past — the good and the bad — as we continue to evolve as a city,” says Louanne Woznicki, Mecklenburg Chapter Regent of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution.
Settler's Cemetery occupies a square block along 5th Street between Church and Poplar streets in the heart of uptown.
Regaining attention: Settlers Cemetery operated as Charlotte’s only city-operated cemetery until 1854, when it was closed after running out of space for additional internments. Today, it is maintained as one of the seven cemeteries operated by the city of Charlotte.
The city of Charlotte maintains its cemeteries in partnership with Historic Elmwood Pinewood.
The group has spent the last several years focused on delivering several cosmetic improvements to Elmwood Cemetery, establishing community engagement programs like Voices from the Past — where live portrayers of key individuals tell the stories of those buried in the cemeteries.
After spending years focused on Elmwood Cemetery and its programming, the group has turned its attention back to Settler’s Cemetery, which hasn’t had the focus of a concerted preservation effort since the 1990s.
Settler's Cemetery has gravesites that date back to 1776, including those belonging to former President James K. Polk and other familiar Charlotte names like Davidson, Wilkinson and Caldwell. (Settlers Cemetery — Historic Elmwood Pinewood Cemetery)
Ginny Hall, a Historic Elmwood Pinewood board member who is co-leading the initiative, says “the people buried there are Charlotte’s history, and (we) have a duty to preserve that as much as we can. The goal of our efforts is to honor the history of Charlotte that is inextricably tied to this place. The first round of preservation efforts started the process in the late 1990s, but there is still work to be done as stewards of the space.”
The first round of preservation included a $500,000 restoration effort that improved the space as a more accessible park in uptown but stopped short of bringing the 25 gravestones out from storage and back to the public sphere.
A pressing deadline: The group believes now is the time to focus on this restoration effort, due to Charlotte’s growth and attractiveness to new residents who may not be as familiar with Charlotte’s founding history. There is another factor driving the group’s urgency: Organizers behind previous restoration efforts are aging, and the group would like to complete the improvements they started within their lifetimes.
“Priority one is reinstating the stones put into storage in 1999 during the first round of preservation. Fundraising has not happened to restore those stones, and 25 years later, it’s time.” Hall says. “The individuals who led the preservation effort in 1999 are now in their 80s, and we want to repair and reset those stones within the next year so they are able to see the completed restoration effort.”
The group has engaged with a local firm that specializes in monument preservation to scope the work required. Many of the existing stones are in dire need of improvement, but the group is also considering more modern means of storytelling, such as labeling stones with QR codes that link to additional historical information to make the space feel more like a public open-air museum.
Fundraising efforts: While the group is still estimating the total amount it needs to raise, it expects to have a fundraising target for the full project in excess of $1M. One-third of the money raised will be used to repair and replace the stones in storage, with the remaining funds aligned to beautification and improvement efforts for the cemetery.
Historic Elmwood Pinewood is planning a number of campaigns to raise the money, looking to capitalize in particular on the 250th celebration of the MeckDec — one of Charlotte’s premiere historical events — in May 2025.
The group is soliciting supporters of previous restoration efforts but seeks broad community support to bring its vision of Settlers Cemetery to life. It has established a website to provide the community with additional information surrounding the efforts, and has stated that any donations to the organization’s general fund will be dedicated to the Settlers Cemetery monument preservation effort.
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.
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🎥 Coming up at the Independent Picture House: A celebration of the cinematic lives lost this year
Running today through Aug. 8, a series of three screenings titled A Celebration commemorates and celebrates the careers and lives of film artists we have lost this year. The series currently pays tribute to Shelley Duvall with 3 Women (1977), Donald Sutherland with Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), and Carl Weathers with Action Jackson (1988). Tickets are $8.45 + tax for all showtimes.
This week in Charlotte: MLB team headed to Raleigh?; Parents rally for private school scholarships; Big sinkhole near BofA stadium; Fewer daycares in NC
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
Parents rally for private school scholarships: (Associated Press) North Carolina parents held a rally in Raleigh to urge Republican legislators to fully fund scholarships for children to attend private and religious schools after lawmakers failed to meet the program’s soaring demand.
Fewer daycares: (EdNC) Since February 2020, the number of licensed childcare programs in North Carolina has decreased by 5.3%, with 40% of the net loss occurring in the past year.
Politics
Cooper bows out as potential VP: (USA Today) North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has withdrawn from consideration to be Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate. Cooper stated that it was not the right time for him or North Carolina to be on a national ticket. Harris is expected to announce her running mate in the next few days.
Veto overrides: (Associated Press) The N.C. House voted to override three of Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper's vetoes: a bill that allows the DMV to issue title certificates for all-terrain and utility vehicles, a bill that prohibits local governments from requiring landlords to accept federal housing assistance from tenants and a bill that blocks state agencies from taking payments in central bank digital currency. The Senate must also agree to override votes for the bills to become law.
Local News
Report on deadly law enforcement shooting: (WBTV) New details have emerged about the Charlotte shooting that killed four officers and injured four others in April, including a key communication breakdown in officers surrounding the home and noting that four U.S. Marshals and one ATF officer declined to grant interviews for the investigation.
That’s a big sinkhole: (WCNC) A water leak caused a giant sinkhole to open on South Cedar Street near Bank of America Stadium, affecting both lanes of traffic.
Business
Novant’s S.C. expansion: (Business North Carolina) Novant Health paid $17M to buy an 11.5-acre site in Greenville, S.C., signaling a possible expansion into that city. Novant, North Carolina’s second-largest healthcare system, bought three coastal S.C. hospitals this year and has a 30% stake in one in the Myrtle Beach area.
Feds sue Norfolk Southern: (The Center Square) The federal government has sued Norfolk Southern, accusing it of violating federal law by delaying Amtrak’s Crescent trains that operate between New York and New Orleans.
Sports
New MLB team in NC?: (Axios) The new CEO of the Carolina Hurricanes, said he wants to bring a Major League Baseball team to Raleigh — an idea that has also been supported by the Hurricanes’ owner.
Carolina Panthers hires first Black gameday DJ: (QCity Metro) The Carolina Panthers have hired DJ Carolina X, also known as Nathaniel Perkins, as the team’s first Black gameday DJ.
From the Ledger family of newsletters
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Appeals court backs CMS, CMPD on Myers Park sex-assault suit: An appeals court upheld a ruling that cleared Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and a school resource officer of liability in a former Myers Park High student’s lawsuit, which claimed they mishandled her 2015 sexual assault case. The court found that neither acted in bad faith or obstructed justice.
Plus: McCrory says “threats” imperiled “No Labels” effort; 1.5 more years of airport lobby construction; Crypto industry hoping for N.C. veto override
Historic buildings near airport face demolition by city: Two city-owned historic buildings, including a century-old Colonial Revival house near the airport, face demolition by the city itself, sparking criticism from preservationists who accuse the city of bypassing standard preservation procedures and ignoring recommendations from the Historic Landmarks Commission.
Plus: Charlotte City Club revamps its business model; Queens students explore Paris Olympics; New podcast delves into challenges facing nonprofits
Charlotte FC still alive in Leagues Cup: Charlotte FC’s gritty style led to a shootout victory over Mexican powerhouse Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup, keeping the team’s hopes alive in the tournament.
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