North Mecklenburg High School - Viking Yearbook (Huntersville, NC)

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PROLCGUE NORTH MECKLENBURC REBELS? I thought Rebels was a nickname for the South. VVhere do you get NORTH REBELS? That,s really a jokeli' These comments about North,s name were frequently heard when North Mecklenburg was first organized and are still sometimes thrown at students and teachers. Nevertheless, no school has more right to the name REBELS than North Mecklenburg High School. Why? Because in no section of county, state, or country could one have found more of a spirit of rebellion against that which was tyrannical or unjust than our North Meck- lenburg settlers showed. The very land on which the school is located belonged to one of the true Rebels of the Revolutionary period, john McKnitt Alexander. Moreover, many of Northis students can date their They came into Mecklenburg in the middle of the eighteenth century. They raised sturdy houses of hewn peeled pine, hickory, oak, or ash logs. They lived lives centered almost entirely about their farms, raising all food and making their own clothing. They reared large families. They were hardy people - those who invaded the wilderness seeking a better' life for themselves and their families in a free land. Yet their spirits went un- daunted, and as they plowed and sowed, they dreamed of independence and dared to think they could challenge the authority in England. They were determined to live, work, and worship in a free land. These settlers had great courage, a stamina that would not yield and much faith. They were willing and eager to work and create and build. A voice from the wilderness, that of Alexander Craighead, the first pastor to settle in this vast region, inspired and inflamed the spirit of the people - a people who shared his will to be free. His congregations at Sugaw Creek and Rocky River Presbyterian Churches felt the spirit of the man who taught them never to yield to tyranny. He helped to stiffen the wills of the people to be free, to be Cod-loving people who desired a land free of religious and political dictatorship. Truly Craighead was the flaming evangel of freedom. Although he died two years after he came to Meck- lenburg, it was under the influence of his powerfully inspiring spirit that Mecklenburg patriots would be among the first in America to challenge an uncompre- hending and an uncompromising government. Conditions in the colonies had grown worse and everywhere men were chafing under the harsh treat- ment of the British government. In the spring of 1775 ancestry directly back to those who took part in the rebellion against tyranny. For instance, there are many students who are direct descendants of j. McKnitt Alex- ander, Qne a direct descendant of the Widow Wilson who saved the life of joe Graham, who was later to figure prominently in Mecklenburg history. The David- son family has been represented, in fact, the great-grand- father of one of the teachers, Miss Leila johnston, was Independence Benn Davidson. There are other reasons - Cowanis Ford history, Beatties Ford action, and many other such sites of Revo- lutionary action - that make North Mecklenburg the seat of rebellious action against unjust treatment. But the story is getting ahead of itself. Let,s go back to the beginning. a group of leaders met at Alexandriana, home of john McKnitt Alexander, three miles east of Hopewell Church Cnow known as Croftj to consider the alarming situ- ation. Here plans were probably made that should con- ditions become alarming enough to warrant the holding of a county-wide meeting, then Colonel Thomas Polk as commander of the county militia would be empowered to call such a convention. Conditions did not improve. In Mecklenburg, Col- onel Polk acted and sent out notices instructing the citizens to elect two delegates from each militia district. These delegates were to assemble on May I9 at the court house in Charlottetown. This they did with enthusiasm. Abraham Alexander was made chairman and McKnitt Alexander secretary. A committee was named to draw up a document for the conventionis consideration. Members were Doctor Ephraim Brevard, a Queens faculty member, Rev. Heze- kiah Balch, pastor of Poplar Tent, and VVilliam Kennon, a lawyer from Salisbury. Brevard and Balch, along with other leaders, had been meeting at Queens Museum and Alexandriana in the months before and were probably prepared for such a request. More than fifty years later john Davidsonis certifi- cate declared that after organizing for business a mo- tion was made to declare themselves free from the Crown of Great Britain. The motion was carried by a large majority. Dr. Brevard was then appointed to give the convention a sketch of the Declaration of Independence, which he did. This would indicate that independence was declared before the declaration text was offered. However, the procedure might have been, there is no doubt in the minds of North Mecklenburg people that there was a Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence. 7

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ft 'x as f we g?JffO7ffff f f?,,,f7 'te fl 1 Xfffffl f77 f in-E7 If iii' -5 t x EU- L ' un Cf IBN' i f bfi ? ffxw l .MA aa if N --RN .qfrx kfpygjh ,N J ' - ' if , 1,Wf1cfTQ X 'NX ,J fs . ,vb -... ' Ll EQ-3 -12 Z- f A - --ff4ff'.!77.f-52:17 X pl ,l l Q A A 1 ' x 7- ff n 'CM ?'f'fl f 1' ,f f,, , f, . 'Tl jj Kd ' 'TT 7, , ' 'Ll if T- -- , 1. . , .- ' U E, R is s- ff is ,. . A, '- -4' l- X- -- . JF, X X ,. 1 If 'lid Sb: X jx, , ly , T N ' A' ' A I A .14 'QA I ,X 4 , I A l Lili-l f 7 -I f . ' ljlk X ' .. ...Z-,Af X i if ' A il, J ig . . it f .I ZW W My I p 5 xx- ? 7 r' Xe ' A K f 1 K x ' -1 'rr ' ' f f Q. J 5 I A x , N..,e'f ,-f 'L' M - X .N-1- ' x Q f U A Hopewell officer of the militia received Tliomas Polkis order to be in Char- lottetown on May 29, 1775. Prove it? Let someone prove conclusively there was NOT a declaration, and then Mecklenburgers will believe there was not one. But until someone can come along with positive proof, as much as there is positive proof there definitely WAS one, Mecklenburg will steadfastly believe in their declaration. At this meeting news was received that the British had fired on Americans at Lexington in the Massa- chusetts colony. Mecklenburg people were incensed. They abandoned all caution and declared they were ready to challenge British authority. However, a system of government to replace British rule should not be formed in haste, it should be done only after study and deliberation. The date for the next meeting was set for May 31, 1775. Efforts were being made to organize an efficient military force in the province and Mecklenburg was fully represented both in leadership and troops provided. Camp Alexander, where General Davidson trained his raw recruits, is near the present site of North High. The war moved southward from New England and Pennsylvania to Charlestownis Low Country. Three weeks after Charlestown fell and the British started toward the NVaxhaw settlements, 900 militiamen were assembled in Charlotte. They were told to be ready B when the call came. It was not long coming. In June the militia assem- bled in Mallard Creek, east of Alexandriana. Major William R. Davie took charge of the cavalry, Colonel William Lee Davidson, the infantry. General Davidson and Davie were determined to make the Bedcoats pay dearly for every mile of ad- vance into North Carolina. Employing guerrilla tactics, they swept down upon detached groups, harassed for- aging parties, and at the same time kept an eye on the advancing main body. But these small victories could do nothing more than delay the arrival of the British in Charlottetown. Five years after the Mecklenburgers had issued their defiant declaration, the British entered Charlotte- town. Cornwallis thought that many people in Mecklen- burg would come flocking to him to seek the protection of the Boyalists. However, he completely misunderstood the spirit of the people in Mecklenburg, they were not to be intimidated. Cornwallis had been in Charlotte one week. Al- ready his supplies were dwindling. British foraging par- ties were so harassed by the straight-shooting Mecklen- burgers that Cornwallis had been forced to send out large detachments in search of supplies.