Mecklenburg Presbytery

In the record (25)

1. 1752

   In 1752 the Moravian church sent a survey expedition into the North Carolina Piedmont, which selected an almost 100,000-acre tract for a new settlement known as Wachovia (present-day Forsyth County), part of the broader wave of German-speaking settlement moving down the Great Wagon Road into the backcountry alongside Scots-Irish migrants.

   First United Presbyterian ChurchFirst Baptist Church West

   Source · checked 2026-08-13

2. 1752

   The Old Waxhaw Presbyterian Church, the first church established in the Waxhaws region and later associated with the Jackson family (Andrew Jackson's family), was founded in 1752.

   Unverified — sourced but not confirmed against a primary record.

   First United Presbyterian ChurchFirst Baptist Church WestOld Waxhaw Presbyterian ChurchAndrew Jackson

   Source · checked 2026-08-13

3. 1755

   Sugaw (Sugar) Creek Presbyterian Church, generally regarded as the oldest church in Mecklenburg County, traces its congregational origins to about 1755, with formal organization commonly dated to 1758 (some markers give 1756); it became the mother church for Scots-Irish Presbyterian settlement in the area.

   First United Presbyterian ChurchFirst Baptist Church West

   Source · checked 2026-08-13

4. 1760

   Steele Creek Presbyterian Church, the second-oldest congregation in Mecklenburg County, was organized around 1760 by Scots-Irish settlers; its first permanent pastor, Robert Henry, arrived in 1766, and Rev. James McRee led the congregation from 1778 to 1797. The Mecklenburg Presbytery itself was organized at Steele Creek in 1780.

   Steele Creek Presbyterian ChurchFirst United Presbyterian ChurchFirst Baptist Church WestSteele Creek Presbyterian ChurchRobert HenryJames McRee

   Source · checked 2026-08-13

5. 1762

   Hopewell Presbyterian Church in northern Mecklenburg County was organized in 1762 by Rev. Alexander McWhorter under the Synod of Philadelphia, though informal preaching there traces to the late 1740s/early 1750s when missionary John Thomson preached at the home of Richard Barry; a log meeting house was built in 1765, and Hopewell's present 1831 sanctuary is the oldest standing, continuously used worship facility in Mecklenburg County.

   First United Presbyterian ChurchFirst Baptist Church WestPhiladelphia Presbyterian ChurchHopewell Presbyterian ChurchGeorge AlexanderAbraham AlexanderSamuel C. AlexanderAlexander McWhorterJohn ThomsonRichard Barry

   Source · checked 2026-08-13

6. 1767

   Providence Presbyterian Church in southern Mecklenburg County was formally organized in 1767 by Scots-Irish (Ulster Irish) settlers with William Richardson as its first minister; a log sanctuary was built the same year. Providence Road, one of Charlotte's major thoroughfares, takes its name from the church.

   First United Presbyterian ChurchFirst Baptist Church WestProvidence Presbyterian ChurchWilliam Richardson

   Source · checked 2026-08-13

7. 1791

   Before any dedicated church building existed for Charlotte's own Presbyterian congregation (First Presbyterian Church of Charlotte was not formally organized until 1832), traveling ministers preached in a grove near a blacksmith shop on what is now First Presbyterian's grounds as early as the 1750s, and many town-dwelling Presbyterians in the courthouse-village era instead worshipped at Sugar (Sugaw) Creek Presbyterian Church, located three to four miles north of town.

   First Presbyterian ChurchFirst United Presbyterian ChurchFirst Baptist Church WestMecklenburg County CourthouseFirst Presbyterian Church

   Source · checked 2026-08-13

8. 1845

   A new two-story Mecklenburg County courthouse was erected in 1845 on the northeast corner of Trade and Church Streets in Charlotte, the county's third courthouse building, replacing an earlier brick courthouse that had been overhauled around 1829.

   Unverified — sourced but not confirmed against a primary record.

   First United Presbyterian ChurchFirst Baptist Church WestMecklenburg County Courthouse

   Source · checked 2026-08-14

9. 1865

   Clinton Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church, founded in Charlotte's Third Ward in the immediate aftermath of emancipation, is regarded as the oldest Black church built in Charlotte.

   Unverified — sourced but not confirmed against a primary record.

   First United Presbyterian ChurchFirst Baptist Church WestClinton Chapel AME Zion ChurchW.W. WardGeorge W. Clinton

   Source · checked 2026-08-13

10. 1865

    Clinton Chapel AME Zion Church was founded in 1865 by Northern AME Zion missionaries who moved into North Carolina alongside Union troops, becoming one of Charlotte's oldest independent Black congregations tied to the Brooklyn/Second Ward Black church network.

    First United Presbyterian ChurchFirst Baptist Church WestClinton Chapel AME Zion ChurchW.W. WardGeorge W. Clinton

    Source · checked 2026-08-13

11. 1866

    In 1866, Black members left the balcony of Charlotte's First Presbyterian Church and, with the assistance of white missionaries, organized the area's first Black Presbyterian congregation, which grew into First United Presbyterian Church in what was then First Ward.

    Unverified — sourced but not confirmed against a primary record.

    First Presbyterian ChurchFirst United Presbyterian ChurchFirst Baptist Church WestFirst Presbyterian ChurchW.W. Ward

    Source · checked 2026-08-13

12. 1867

    In 1867, formerly enslaved members left Charlotte's white Southern Baptist church to organize their own congregation, which became First Baptist Church West (now known as First Baptist Church-West), one of Charlotte's oldest Black Baptist congregations.

    Unverified — sourced but not confirmed against a primary record.

    First Baptist CharlotteFirst United Presbyterian ChurchFirst Baptist Church West

    Source · checked 2026-08-13

13. 1867 · 1867-04-07

    At a meeting on April 7, 1867 in Charlotte's old Presbyterian church, the Catawba Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church agreed on a plan to establish a school for training Black preachers and teachers among the formerly enslaved, and selected ministers Samuel C. Alexander and Willis L. Miller as the school's first two professors.

    Harding High SchoolSecond Ward High SchoolCentral High SchoolFirst United Presbyterian ChurchFirst Baptist Church WestCatawba NationGeorge AlexanderAbraham AlexanderSamuel C. AlexanderWillis L. Miller

    Source · checked 2026-08-13

14. 1867 · 1867-05-01

    The Henry J. Biddle Memorial Institute, chartered by the state as a freedmen's school under the Presbyterian Church's Board of Missions for Freedmen, held its first classes on May 1, 1867, enrolling eight male students in a local church building in Charlotte.

    Johnson C. Smith UniversityHarding High SchoolSecond Ward High SchoolCentral High SchoolFirst United Presbyterian ChurchFirst Baptist Church WestBiddle Memorial InstituteMary Deborah Baird BiddleRobert HenryHenry J. Biddle

    Source · checked 2026-08-13

15. 1882

    In 1882, Jane Renwick Smedberg Wilkes — who had earlier helped found St. Peter's (Charlotte's first general) Hospital — began a fundraising campaign, together with the parishioners of St. Peter's Episcopal Church, to establish a second Charlotte hospital dedicated to the city's Black residents.

    Unverified — sourced but not confirmed against a primary record.

    First United Presbyterian ChurchFirst Baptist Church WestPresbyterian HospitalGood Samaritan HospitalMercy HospitalSt. Peter's Episcopal ChurchPeterJane Renwick Smedberg WilkesJohn Wilkes

    Source · checked 2026-08-13

16. 1888 · 1888-12-18

    The cornerstone of Good Samaritan Hospital, funded by St. Peter's Episcopal Church and its parishioners under Jane Wilkes's leadership, was laid in Charlotte on December 18, 1888, at a ceremony attended by both Black and white Charlotte residents.

    Good Samaritan Hospital siteFirst United Presbyterian ChurchFirst Baptist Church WestPresbyterian HospitalGood Samaritan HospitalMercy HospitalSt. Peter's Episcopal ChurchPeterJane Renwick Smedberg WilkesJohn Wilkes

    Source · checked 2026-08-13

17. 1890

    Friendship Missionary Baptist Church was organized in 1890 in the Brooklyn neighborhood; its first sanctuary was built at 429 South Brevard Street in 1893.

    Unverified — sourced but not confirmed against a primary record.

    Friendship Missionary Baptist ChurchFirst United Presbyterian ChurchFirst Baptist Church WestFriendship Missionary Baptist ChurchEphraim Brevard

    Source · checked 2026-08-13

18. 1891

    The Charlotte Museum of History states Good Samaritan Hospital was built in Charlotte's Third Ward with funds raised by St. Peter's Episcopal Church and its parishioners, describing it as the first private hospital in North Carolina built exclusively for the treatment of Charlotte's Black citizens.

    Good Samaritan Hospital siteFirst United Presbyterian ChurchFirst Baptist Church WestPresbyterian HospitalGood Samaritan HospitalMercy HospitalMint Museum of ArtLevine Museum of the New SouthHarvey B. Gantt CenterNASCAR Hall of FameSt. Peter's Episcopal ChurchW.W. WardPeter

    Source · checked 2026-08-13

19. 1896

    By 1896, three decades of postwar Black church-founding in Charlotte had produced enough congregations that the city had more Black churches than white churches.

    Unverified — sourced but not confirmed against a primary record.

    First United Presbyterian ChurchFirst Baptist Church West

    Source · checked 2026-08-13

20. 1917 · 1917-07-05

    Major General Leonard Wood, commander of the Army's Southeastern Division and the officer charged with selecting new WWI training camp sites, visited Charlotte and addressed the community at First Presbyterian Church on July 5, 1917, regarding the planned camp that became Camp Greene.

    First Presbyterian ChurchFirst United Presbyterian ChurchFirst Baptist Church WestCamp GreeneFirst Presbyterian ChurchLeonard Wood

    Source · checked 2026-08-13

21. 1963

    Friendship Baptist Church's original South Brevard Street sanctuary in Brooklyn was demolished as part of urban renewal; in October 1963 the congregation left the site and held worship services at Northwest Junior High School while awaiting a new church home.

    Harding High SchoolSecond Ward High SchoolCentral High SchoolRedevelopment CommissionFirst United Presbyterian ChurchFirst Baptist Church WestFriendship Missionary Baptist ChurchEphraim Brevard

    Source · checked 2026-08-13

22. 1970

    Friendship Baptist Church's congregation, displaced from Brooklyn, built a new church at 3301 Beatties Ford Road in 1970.

    First United Presbyterian ChurchFirst Baptist Church WestFord Motor CompanyFriendship Missionary Baptist Church

    Source · checked 2026-08-13

23. 1970

    Grace AME Zion Church's sanctuary at 219-223 South Brevard Street survived urban renewal's demolition of Brooklyn and is the only religious structure remaining from the historic neighborhood, since repurposed as an event space and music venue.

    Grace A.M.E. Zion ChurchRedevelopment CommissionFirst United Presbyterian ChurchFirst Baptist Church WestGrace AME Zion ChurchEphraim Brevard

    Source · checked 2026-08-13

24. 2013 · 2013-08-31

    Romare Bearden Park, a 5.4-acre uptown park at 300 S. Church Street designed by artist Norie Sato based on the work of Charlotte-born artist Romare Bearden, had its grand opening over August 31–September 1, 2013.

    Romare Bearden ParkFirst United Presbyterian ChurchFirst Baptist Church WestMarshall Park

    Source · checked 2026-08-13

25. 2020 · 2020-06-01

    On June 1, 2020, around 200 protesters marched in Uptown Charlotte while a separate demonstration at Freedom Park remained peaceful; police reported some rock- and firecracker-throwing, issued dispersal orders, and made one arrest at Church Street and MLK Boulevard.

    Freedom ParkFirst United Presbyterian ChurchFirst Baptist Church WestMarshall Park

    Source · checked 2026-08-13