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The Charlotte Regional History Consortium is composed of more than 30 North Carolina & South Carolina museums and
organizations that highlight the Piedmont's history, art and culture, from the 18th Century through today.
Following is a list of CRHC members and links to their websites, if available, for additional information. These Charlotte
region cultural sites and museums are highlighted on this page and will be rotated, so come back soon!





Historic Rural Hill Farm
    Rural Hill, the homestead of Major John and Violet Wilson Davidson, was once one of the most prosperous plantations in the region. Stories about the extended Davidson family provide a window into the rich heritage of the pioneer Scots and their contrary cousins, the Scots-Irish. The site offers cultural events and tours featuring the 1890s one-room schoolhouse and the 20th century farm residence (pictured left), plantation ruins and restoration projects of the log home and gardens. Featured events at this site include the Loch Norman Highland Games (April) (pictured right ), The Amazing Maize Maze and the Rural Hill Sheep Dog Trials. Call for information on events.
Address: PO Box 1009, Huntersville, NC 28070-1009; 4431 Neck Road
Tel/Info: 704.875.3115
Hours: Monday - Saturday 9 am - 5 pm
Admission: Fee charged
Website: www.ruralhillfarm.org
Directions:
Located 12 miles north of Charlotte, off Beatties Ford Road, at 4431 Neck Road.
Online Map
CRHC Members Museums/Sites
Afro-American Cultural Center
Andrew Jackson State Park
Carolinas Historic Aviation Museum
Charlotte Mecklenburg African-American History Museum
Charlotte Museum of History & Hezekiah Alexander Homesite
Charlotte Trolley & Museum
Gaston County Museum
Historic Brattonsville
Historic Johnson Farm
Historic Latta Plantation
Historic Rosedale Plantation
Historic Rural Hill Farm
Hugh Torrance House & Store Site
Iredell Museums — Heritage Center
   
President James K. Polk State Historic Site


Levine Museum of the New South
    The Levine Museum explores the stories of the American South from the end of the civil war to today. Experience the award-winning, interactive exhibit Cotton Fields to Skyscrapers, along with changing exhibits, group tours and educational programs for all ages.
Address: 200 E. Seventh St., Charlotte, NC 28202
Tel/Info: 704.333.1887
Hours: Monday - Saturday, 10 - 5 pm; Sunday 12 - 5 pm
Admission: Fee charged Monday - Saturday; Free Sunday
Website: www.museumofthenewsouth.org
Directions:
Located in uptown Charlotte at the corner of College St. and Seventh St.
Online Map
Levine Museum of the New South
Lincoln County Historical Association & Museum
McGill Rose Garden
Mint Hill Country Doctor's Museum
Museum of the Waxhaws
Museum of York County
Reed Gold Mine State Historic Site
Reid House
Rowan Museum
Schiele Museum of Natural History & Lynn Plantarium
     
Charlotte Museum of History & Hezekiah Alexander Homesite
    Explore three centuries of regional heritage at the Charlotte Museum of History. Tour the Revolutionary Waar era home of Hezekiah Alexander (circa 1774). Hear the sound of the American Freedom Bell and visit four exciting galleries telling the story of the region's history.
Address: 3500 Shamrock Drive, Charlotte, NC 28215
Tel/Info: 704.568.1774
Hours: Tuesday - Saturday, 10 - 5 pm; Sunday 1 - 5 pm
Admission Charge: Fee charged
Website: www.charlottemuseum.org
Directions: Located on Charlotte's northeast side. From I-85, take Harris Boulevard, exit east to Sharon Amity Drive, then right on Shamrock Drive (Business Route 23).
Online Map
CRHC Members Research Resources
The Charlotte Folk Society
Davidson Historical Society
Heritage Room of Union County
Historic Charlotte
Historical Center of York County
Mecklenburg Historical Association
Olde Mecklenburg Genealogical Society
Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room
UNC Charlotte, Special Collections

     


Historic Latta Plantation
    Tour the uniquely designed and fully furnished Catawba River Plantation built in 1800 for James and Jane Latta, along with the original meat house and nine other relocated or reconstructed buildings. The site is alive throughout the year with fram crops, gardens, livestock, costumed interpreters and special events. The historic site is part of the Latta Plantation Nature Preserve, which comprises over 1,200 wooded acres on Mountain Island Lake, and includes the Latta Plantation Nature Center, hiking and horseback riding trails, and the Carolina Raptor Center.
Address: 5225 Sample Road, Huntersville, NC 28078
Tel/Info: 704.875.2312
Hours: Open October - April Tuesday - Saturday 10 - 5 pm; Sunday 12 - 5 pm. May - September Daily 10 - 5 pm.
Admission: Fee Charged
Website: www.lattaplantation.org
Directions:
Located north of Charlotte. Traveling on I-77, exit Sunset Road West. Turn right on Beatties Ford Rd. Proceed 4.8 miles. Turn left on Sample Rd. Continue to the back of the park.
Online Map
 
     
Gaston County Museum in Dallas, NC

Educating Day campers at the Gaston County Museum
Gaston County Museum
    Discover how an elegantly simple brick Greek Revival style building (pictured left) — constructed as a hotel in 1852 — has been adapted for travelers & visitors of today! Enjoy permanent galleries and changing exhibits, which illuminate regional history and visual art.
    Learn about the people, the work, and the industry that changed the Carolinas in the Carolinas Textile Exhibit.
Address: 131 West Main Street, Dallas, NC 28034
Tel/Info: 704.922.7681; 24-hour INFO-LINE: 704.922.7681, ext. 2
Hours: Tuesday - Friday, 10 - 5 pm; Sat. 12 - 4 pm; First Sunday of the month, 2 - 5 pm
Admission Charge: Free; free parking
Website: www.gastoncountymuseum.org
Directions: Located west of Charlotte, just north of Gastonia. From I-85 take NC 321 north (Exit 17) to the Dallas exit. Follow the signs. The museum is on the SW quadrant of the old Courthouse Square.
Online Map
     


Reed Gold Mine
    The Reed Gold Mine is the site of the first documented discovery of gold in the United States and is one of the few mines in the United States that is open to the public. There, visitors tour tunnels dug out by 19th century miners as they follow gold-bearing quartz veins deep underground. They walk along wooded trails past areas where the Reed family dug for gold, view exhibits of gold and historical mining equipment, and can pan for gold themselves (April - October).
Address: 9621 Reed Mine Rd. Midland, NC 28107
Hours: April - October Tuesday - Saturday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, November - March Tuesday - Saturday 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Admission: no admission fee; there is a fee for panning for gold
Website: www.reedmine.com
Directions: Located about 35 miles east of Charlotte and 20 miles south of Concord between highway 200 and Albelmarle Rd.

Online map
     
Rowan Museum
    The 1854 Courthouse (pictured at left), which survived Stoneman's Raid in 1865, is one of the finest examples of pre-Civil War architecture in the state. Throughout its grand old rooms, including the beautiful second floor courtroom and public gathering place, the life and history of Rowan County is presented through displays and interpretive exhibits.
    The Museum also operates two historic house museums: the Utzman-Chambers House (1825) and the Old Stone House (1766).
Address: 202 N. Main Street, Salisbury, NC 28144
Tel/Info: 704.633.5946
Hours: Thursday - Sunday, 1 - 4 pm
Admission: Fee charged
Directions: Located northeast of Charlotte. From I-85 take Downtown Salisbury Exit. Go 1 mile west on East Inness St. At the Square, turn right on N. Main St. for one block.
Online Map
   

 


Historic Rosedale Plantation
    Rosedale (circa 1825), a national Register Federal period manor house, is the centerpiece of this Carolina Piedmont plantation.
    Visitors will learn about the lifestyle of the residents (owners and slaves), architecture and decorative arts, education, medicine, etc. The grounds include a formal boxwood garden, a perennial garden, a herb/kitchen garden and a picnic area.
Address: 3427 N. Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC 28206
Tel/Info: 704.335.0325
Hours: Monday - Friday 10 - 4 pm; Saturday & Sunday 1 - 4 pm.
Admission: Fee charged
Website: www.historicrosedale.org
Directions:
Located 3 miles from uptown Charlotte on N. Tryon Street, between 30th Street and Sugar Creek Road.
Online Map
   



Historic Johnson Farm
    Owned by the local school system and operated as a Heritage Education site, Historic Johnson Farm features an 1880's brick farmhouse, barnloft museum, minature horses, quiet trails, picnic tables and a children's gift shop.
Address: 3346 Haywood Road, Hendersonville, NC 28791
Tel/Info: 828.891.6585
Hours: Tuesday - Friday 9:00 - 2:30 pm; guided tours at 10:30 am and 1:30 pm
Admission: Fee charged
Website: www.henderson.k12.nc.us:16080/district/johnsonfarm/
Directions:
Located between Hendersonville, NC, and Mills River, NC, on Hwy. 101. South of Asheville, NC, and about two hours drive from Charlotte, NC. Off I-26 at US 64 Hendersonville Exit, go west, turn right onto Hwy. 101.
Online Map
 
     


The President James K. Polk State Historic Site
    The President James K. Polk State Historic Site is located on the site of the birthplace of the 11th U. S. President. The Historic Site's exhibitions commemorate significant events in the Polk administration. Reconstructions of typical log homestead buildings — a log house, separate kitchen and pack house — are authentically furnished.
Address: 12031 Lancaster Highway, Pineville, NC 28134
Tel/Info: 704.889.7145
Hours: April - October: Tuesday - Saturday, 9 - 5 pm
November - March: Tuesday - Saturday, 10 - 4 pm
Admission: Free
Website: www.polk.nchistoricsites.org

Online Map
 
     


Iredell Museums of Arts & Heritage
    Located in an 1899 water pump station, the Heritage Learning Center and a separate pioneer Farmstead (pictured left) on the grounds show an interesting historical picture of early Carolina history. The Heritage Learning Center and Farmstead are open for special events.
    Walking trails meander through 30 wooded acres with one leading to a pioneer settlement, where programs are offered by costumed interpreters. Other Iredell museums offer a varied permanent collection of fine arts and artifacts, including an Egyptian mummy.
Address: 1335 Museum Road, Statesville, NC 28677
Tel/Info: 704.873.4734
Hours: Open for special events; other Iredell Museums are open Tuesday - Friday, 10 - 5 pm; Saturday 10 - 3 pm
Admission: Free (except for Children's Museum & Play Space)
Website: www.iredellmuseums.org
Directions:
Located northwest of Charlotte. From I-40, take exit 150, go north on Hwy. 115, turn right on Millsaps Road to Museum Road, turn right again.
Online Map
 
     
Aviation Museum Hanger

Aviation Plane
Carolinas Historic Aviation Commission & Museum
    The aviation history of the Carolinas comes alive at the Aviation Museum, housed in the original hanger built for Charlotte's first municipal airport. Numerous aircraft are on exhibit. There also are rotating exhibits of aviation memorabilia and artifacts.
Address: 4108 Minuteman Way, formerly Airport Drive, Charlotte, NC 28208
Tel/Info: 704.359.8442
Hours: Tuesday - Friday, 10 - 4 pm; Sat. 10 - 5 pm; Sunday 1 - 5 pm
Admission Charge: Fee charged
Website: www.carolinasaviation.org
Directions: Located at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport. From I-85 or I-77, take Billy Graham Parkway to Morris Field Road. Turn right on Minuteman Way (formerly Airport Drive — signs have just changed so some maps use Airport Drive) and follow Museum signs.
Online Map
 
     



Lincoln County Museum of History
    Housed in the old First Baptist Church of Lincolnton, now the Lincoln Cultural Center, the museum maintains an exhibition gallery that features ongoing exhibits on the Catawba Indians, the county's first European settlers, Battle of Ramsour's Mill, Lincoln County in the Civil War, the Iron industry in Lincoln County and Catawba Valley Pottery.
    The museum houses a collection of three-dimensional objects, reference material, archives of the Lincoln County Historical Association and Manuscript Collections.
Address: 403 E. Main Street, Lincolnton, NC 28092
Tel/Info: 704.748.9090
Hours: Tuesday & Thursday, 1 - 5 pm; Sunday 2 - 5 pm
Admission: Free
Directions: Located northeast of Charlotte. From I-85, take NC 321 to exit 24. Take a right and proceed to downtown Lincolnton. Right on Cedar. Museum on corner of Main St.
From I-40, take NC 321 south (Exit 123), to exit 24. Take a right and proceed to downtown Lincolnton. Right on Cedar. Museum on corner of Main St.
Online Map
 
     
  Research Resources  


      
Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room
of the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County

    Located in the heart of uptown Charlotte, the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room of the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County has the largest genealogical and historical collection of any public library in North Carolina. Researchers of all ages are welcomed to trace their family roots or delve deep into the region’s history. It is the best place in the county to learn about Charlotte and Mecklenburg County via books, newspapers, vital records, photographs, journals, archives, music, maps and much more.
Address: 310 North Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC 28202
Tel/Info: 704.336.2980            E-mail: ncr@plcmc.org
Hours: Monday - Thursday, 9 am - 9 pm; Friday & Saturday, 9 - 6 pm; Sunday, 1 - 6 pm.
Admission: Free
Website: www.cmstory.org (about the history and genealogy of Mecklenburg County) or
www.plcmc.org/Locations/mainCarolina.asp
(about the Carolina Room)
Directions: Downtown Charlotte, NC                                              
Online Map
 
     
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The above organizations in this website are members of the Charlotte Regional History Consortium.

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