Charlotte center city in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Early Education

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), June 17, 2021

1. Early Education Marker

Inscription.
One trait of early Presbyterians in this region was their commitment to education, so that everyone could read the Bible. While many families in Mecklenburg County could not read and could not afford to educate their children, everyone who could make sure their children learned to read.

In 1770, Royal Governor Tryon recommended that "a public seminary in some part of the back country of this Colony for the education of youth" be established in Charlotte. Queen's College, the first such institution south of Virginia, was chartered in 1771 and King George III promptly refused the charter. The school operated in defiance, and became Liberty Hall after independence was declared in Mecklenburg. It was moved to Salisbury after the war and soon closed. Andrew Jackson received a classical education there.

The Presbyterian ministers were educated men who opened academies in or near the churches. Numerous academies for both boys and girls opened in Mecklenburg throughout the 19th century. Boys of prominent families were frequently sent for higher education to Nassau Hall (College of New Jersey, later Princeton) or Davidson College. Girls were sent to Raleigh Academy or Salem Boarding School (now Salem College), among others, and sometimes further education in Philadelphia.

Sara Frew Davidson's journal of 1837 documents teaching her father's enslaved African Americans to read. After the Civil War, Presbyterians established established Biddle Memorial Institute (later Johnson C. Smith University) to educate the freedmen.

Topics and series.

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This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Colonial Era • Education • Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the Historically Black Colleges and Universities series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1770.

Location. 35° 13.752′ N, 80° 50.594′ W. Marker is in Charlotte, North Carolina, in Mecklenburg County. It is in Charlotte center city. It is on West 5th Street just west of North Church Street, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 200 W Trade St, Charlotte NC 28202, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Carolina’s Piedmont.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers

Markers along West 5th Street image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), June 17, 2021

2. Markers along West 5th Street

are within walking distance of this marker: Gold Mining (here, next to this marker); The Importance Of Religion (here, next to this marker); Hornets' Nest (here, next to this marker); The Battle of Charlotte (here, next to this marker); Census Information (here, next to this marker); The War Between The States (here, next to this marker); Captain James Jack's Ride (here, next to this marker); The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence (here, next to this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Charlotte.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 20, 2024. It was originally submitted on June 20, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 292 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 20, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.