A Brief History of Mecklenburg County

Part I :Settlement

Many farm families came into present Mecklenburg County. The Spratt and Polk families are reportedly some of the earliest settlers. These families settled near the present site of uptown Charlotte in 1753. This site was about ten miles from the Catawba River near the crossing of two ancient Native American trading paths. More farmers soon moved into the area, and by 1762, Mecklenburg County was created from Anson County. A log courthouse was located near the trading path intersection, and the little community was incorporated as Charlotte in 1768. The choice of this name for the town and the name of the county were made to honor Queen Charlotte, the new bride of King George III, who was from Mecklenburg, Germany.

The abundant forests available allowed settlers to build log homes, usually with only one story. Although the Scots - Irish emigrants had no log building tradition of their own, they borrowed this skill from their German neighbors in Pennsylvania. The simple homes were built from large logs squared off with broad axes and adzes. The logs could be joined in a variety of ways, including dovetail, half-dovetail, and saddle joints, at the corners eliminating the need for rare, expensive nails. The spaces between logs were chinked (filled) with wood chips, stones, and mud. Log structures were very common in Mecklenburg County by the late 1700's.

The Cooper Log House

These log homes were often improved in later years with the addition of a second story, exterior weatherboard and interior finishes such as fireplace mantles or decorative molding. Clay was also available for the production of bricks, allowing the construction of brick chimneys. Chimneys were usually located on the exterior ends of houses. The owners of these simple residences were often hardscrabble farmers, raising enough produce for themselves and for some trade.