Mecklenburg County 250th Anniversary
The MHA is sponsoring or co-sponsoring many activities related to the 250th anniversary of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence in 2025 and the birth of the United States of America in 2026. We will report here on progress of these activities and highlight (literally) requests for your assistance.
Battle of Charlotte/Battle of the Bees
MHA and Rural Hill too on the sponsorship of this living history and battle event in 2023. It will be held at Rural Hill again in 2024 and, we expect, for many years to come. The dates in 2024 are August 31 and September 1. We will let you know when tickets go on sale. If you would like to be part of the operations team, please drop a note though the Contact page on this site. Please use the 250th choice to identify your note.
*Youth Passport for Historic Sites
We are in the process of identifying the sites for this activity. We are also seeking an applications programmer who is familiar with using QR codes to trigger audio or video recordings to explain each site. Please drop us a note through the Contact page of this website. Please use the 250th choice to identify your note. Finding someone who is willing to adjust fees for a non-profit group would be preferable. We would like the app completed by the end of the 2024 spring term.
Historic Site Tours
The 2024 MHA tour will feature more than twenty sites along Beatties Ford Road between Mt. Holly – Huntersville Road and Same Furr Road (Hwy 73). The current target dates are May 4 and 5. We are also seeking an applications programmer who is familiar with using QR codes to trigger audio or video recordings to explain each site. This app needs to be complete and tested by April 15, 2024. Please drop us a note through the Contact page of this website. Please use the 250th choice to identify your note.
We will let you know when tickets are available. The ticket will be a personal access id to the app.
*Coloring Books of Key Sites by Town
Matthews has begun this effort. Their coloring book will be available early this year. We will be selling it through this website and it will be available at several sites in Matthews. We have started work on a similar coloring book for Huntersville. If anyone is interested in heading up a similar effort in town, please drop us a note through the Contact page of this website. Please use the 250th choice to identify your note.
Promote Williams’ books on Davidson and Torance families
Ann and Jim Williams wrote histories of the John Davidson home, Rural Hill, and the Torance family homes, Hugh Torance House and Store and Cedar Grove. The Davidson book is in print and available through this website, though the number of copies is limited. The Torance book is out of print and we are seeking a way to get the text into MS Word, so it can be reprinted. We have tried scanning pages and the result was unsatisfactory. We need to have the book copied through a good optical character scan or else reentered. If you have access to either resource and are willing to help, please drop us a note through the Contact page of this website. Please use the 250th choice to identify your note.
Partner with HEARTS on monthly programs of Cedar Grove
The parent organization of Cedar Grove, HEARTS, sponsors excellent programs most months in 2024. The first is a visit to the Torance Mill which is on other private property across from Cedar Grove. This will take place on Saturday January 27 at 1 – 5, with the speaker talking outdoors about 2:00. Van rides from Hugh Torance House and Store will take you near the site.
Watch their website, hught.org, for future events. If you would like to help at any event or if you are in a position to financially sponsor an event, please drop a not on the Contact at that website. Events in 2025 and 2026 will focus on anniversary topics. Torance House and Store is an ongoing MHA project. If you would like to become a tour guide/docent, please drop a note at that website.
Continue to feature lesser-known family histories in MHA Newsletter
Starting in 2022, we featured the family of John Connor (of John Connor Road in Cornelius) in three issues of our newsletter. We would like to feature other long-time Mecklenburg families in single or multiple issues. Starting this year, we will be featuring signers of the Mecklenburg Declaration if some their descendants stayed in Mecklenburg County. In 2026, we want to feature any family that has a long history in Mecklenburg County. If your family has a signer in your ancestry or has been in the county for several generations, we would like to hear from you. Please drop us a note through the Contact page of this website.Please use the 250th choice to identify your note.
New book on MeckDec signers
Work is in progress on a collection of biographies of the 27 signers of the Mecklenburg Declaration and a few associated people like Captain James Jack. We are currently looking for a descendant of each signer who has a bio of your signer already or who would be interested in writing the bio for that person. We are also seeking images related to the signer: portraits, homesteads, families, etc. We have an Editor in Charge. If you can help, please drop a note through the Contact page of this website. Please use choice 250th to identify your note.
Other ideas
Below are other ideas for project we would like to take on. We are always looking for additional ideas. If you are interested in any of these topics or have a topic to suggest, drop us a note through the Contacts page of this website. Please use the 250th choice to identify your note.
Battle of Cowen’s Ford
Working with Preserve Mecklenburg
Working with Hopewell Church on History Room and enslaved cemetery
Publish History of Seven Sister churches and their influence on Revolutionary spirit
Restart MHA programs in North County
Partner with DAR and SAR
#Produce 1948 operetta
#Build near full-scale replica of Courthouse for use at MeckDec Day and Battle of Charlotte
#Partner to make MeckDec Day more of a city-wide event
*Provide videos of local historic site for use in classrooms (limited field trips)
#Short documentaries
360 tours with commentary
Master Map pf Revolutionary era Mecklenburg County
*Directed specifically to students
#Some work in progress