Charlotte, North Carolina - 1949
The Charlotte Murals have an interesting story.The canvases were uncovered and are on display in Mecklenburg, NC. Their historical relevance is an important piece of the Montgomery mural story.
Charlotte - Site of the First Declaration of Independence
Charlotte, the commercial capital of the Carolinas, is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, whose citizens take great pride in the fact that here on May 20, 1775 - when Charlotte was but a straggling crossroads village - was promulgated the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence, a document proclaiming Mecklenburgers free forever of the yoke of Great Britain.
Charlotte, the commercial capital of the Carolinas, is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, whose citizens take great pride in the fact that here on May 20, 1775 - when Charlotte was but a straggling crossroads village - was promulgated the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence, a document proclaiming Mecklenburgers free forever of the yoke of Great Britain.
Charlotte was built upon gentle hills that sat in the fork of Indian trading paths. Now a city of 140,000 people, it is still the trading center. Settlement of the area began in the 1740's. Those pioneer settlers were hardy folk. The were men with marrow in their bones and steel in their sinews. They walked with a spring in their stride and their shoulders were square. Often as they worked a song burst from their hearts.
Mecklenburg was an unchartered empire stretching to the trackless reaches of the west. Here was the home of the Catawbas, who gave their name to the great river upon which they had settled.
Then came the white men. Southward from Pennsylvania and Maryland, through the valley off Virginia, trudged the Scotch-Irish, bringing few possessions except stout hearts and simple, strong faith, and unyielding courage. Westward from the coast country and upward from Charleston and the Low Country came Englishmen, bringing their Anglican faith, and French Huguenots and their light hearts, and stolid Germans and their Lutheran tenets, and Swiss from the eastern settlements. All came seeking a better chance for themselves and their children, an undisturbed free place in which to live their own lives and work and play and love and worship their own God.
[The original Sears mural introduction pamplet - 1949]
Mecklenburg was an unchartered empire stretching to the trackless reaches of the west. Here was the home of the Catawbas, who gave their name to the great river upon which they had settled.
Then came the white men. Southward from Pennsylvania and Maryland, through the valley off Virginia, trudged the Scotch-Irish, bringing few possessions except stout hearts and simple, strong faith, and unyielding courage. Westward from the coast country and upward from Charleston and the Low Country came Englishmen, bringing their Anglican faith, and French Huguenots and their light hearts, and stolid Germans and their Lutheran tenets, and Swiss from the eastern settlements. All came seeking a better chance for themselves and their children, an undisturbed free place in which to live their own lives and work and play and love and worship their own God.
[The original Sears mural introduction pamplet - 1949]
They came into the western wilderness searching for freedom and opportunity. But before the settlement of the region was hardly underway, trouble arose with the agents of the King. In the east Governor William Tryson sought to impose despotic government upon the people. The Regulators fought back.
By 1775 it was evident that a break was inevitable. In Mecklenburg Colonel Thomas Polk, commander of the militia called a convention of the people. It met on May 19, 1775. That same day, as the delegates were debating the proposal to declare independence from England, an excited but weary courier arrived with the news that the British had fired upon the Patriots at Lexington in Massachusetts.
The delegates hesitated no longer. Early in the morning on May 20 they ratified a declaration drawn up by a committee composed of Rev. Hezekiah J. Balch, Dr. Ephraim Brevard, and William Kennon, and signed their names.
This Mecklenburg cast off all ties with Great Britain, and became the first independent section in all of America! As a result, this great county is the only one min America to celebrate two Independence days - May 20 and July 4.
To honor those men and women in early Mecklenburygand to contribute to the continuing fight to maintain the American way of life the people of Mecklenburg County plan the annual presentation of the Mecklenburg sSymphonic play "Shout Freedom!," written by a native son and produced and staged by citizens of the county. [The original Sears mural introduction pamplet - 1949]
By 1775 it was evident that a break was inevitable. In Mecklenburg Colonel Thomas Polk, commander of the militia called a convention of the people. It met on May 19, 1775. That same day, as the delegates were debating the proposal to declare independence from England, an excited but weary courier arrived with the news that the British had fired upon the Patriots at Lexington in Massachusetts.
The delegates hesitated no longer. Early in the morning on May 20 they ratified a declaration drawn up by a committee composed of Rev. Hezekiah J. Balch, Dr. Ephraim Brevard, and William Kennon, and signed their names.
This Mecklenburg cast off all ties with Great Britain, and became the first independent section in all of America! As a result, this great county is the only one min America to celebrate two Independence days - May 20 and July 4.
To honor those men and women in early Mecklenburygand to contribute to the continuing fight to maintain the American way of life the people of Mecklenburg County plan the annual presentation of the Mecklenburg sSymphonic play "Shout Freedom!," written by a native son and produced and staged by citizens of the county. [The original Sears mural introduction pamplet - 1949]
The British invaders are driven from the section in 1781. Within a year the panting of cotton fro home use became general. The demand for cotton goods, coupled with the invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney in 1795, made cotton "king" in the South.
Charlotte continued to grow, so that the 1818 census showed 70 families. Five years later a library association was formed and in 1825 the first newspaper, The Catawba Journal, was started. A branch of the United States Mint opened in 1837. A year later the first medical society was organized.
When the first passenger train to arrive in Charlotte puffed laboriously into the little town in 1852, a picnic crowd of 20,000 greeted its arrival.
- The Charlotte Female Institution was started in 1857.
- In 1860 the city's population has grown to 1,366.
- Then came the war between the States.
The center of Naval Ordnance was moved here form Norfolk. Charlotte and Mecklenburg sent her some off to war. But the lot of the tattered grey armies was defeat, and here in Charlotte on April 20, 1865, in the home of Colonel William Phifer - on the very site of the great new Sears, Roebuck home - President Jefferson Davis held his last full meeting of his cabinet.
Defeat is now long past. Charlotte fought clear of the Reconstruction, became the industrial, manufacturing, and distributing center of the Carolinas, and now contributes mightily to the educational, cultural, and religious growth of the entire section. [The original Sears mural introduction pamplet - 1949]
Charlotte continued to grow, so that the 1818 census showed 70 families. Five years later a library association was formed and in 1825 the first newspaper, The Catawba Journal, was started. A branch of the United States Mint opened in 1837. A year later the first medical society was organized.
When the first passenger train to arrive in Charlotte puffed laboriously into the little town in 1852, a picnic crowd of 20,000 greeted its arrival.
- The Charlotte Female Institution was started in 1857.
- In 1860 the city's population has grown to 1,366.
- Then came the war between the States.
The center of Naval Ordnance was moved here form Norfolk. Charlotte and Mecklenburg sent her some off to war. But the lot of the tattered grey armies was defeat, and here in Charlotte on April 20, 1865, in the home of Colonel William Phifer - on the very site of the great new Sears, Roebuck home - President Jefferson Davis held his last full meeting of his cabinet.
Defeat is now long past. Charlotte fought clear of the Reconstruction, became the industrial, manufacturing, and distributing center of the Carolinas, and now contributes mightily to the educational, cultural, and religious growth of the entire section. [The original Sears mural introduction pamplet - 1949]
AGING MURAL TELLS LOCAL TALE
After hanging for more than 30 years in the South Mecklenburg High School library, the mural of Mecklenburg County history is showing its age. The 54-year old illustration spans 73 feet, stands 6 feet tall and is mounted above bookshelves in the library. Sears commissioned the mural for $ 10,000.00 in 1949. Some, such as high school media specialist Jennifer Hibner, took the artwork for granted - until they learned its story.
"As soon as you walk in (the library) you turn and see this green and orange and brown painting that is peeling and has a lot of damage," Hibner said. "My first impression was that thing has got to go." But in time, and after some research, she believes the school has a responsibility to preserve the mural and teach its history.
School wants aging painting to become historic landmark
A representative from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmark Commission will visit South Mecklenburg on Tuesday [October 28th, 2003] because the school is applying for the mural to become a historic landmark. Hibner said that if the commission deems the mural a landmark, the school could qualify for funding and grants offset the costs to clean and restore it. The mural highlights county history until the 1940's and features many highlights of local history, including the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence and the battle of Charlotte.
Michael Fitzgerald, Grandson of Eugene Montgomery, the mural's artist, said his family has limited information about the 12 murals around the nation that Sears commissioned his grandfather to paint. "We thought they were all gone in one way or another", Fitzgerald said.
Sears advertised in 1970 that it wanted to give away the mural due to remodeling. While eating breakfast one morning, South Mecklenburg librarian Muriel Livingstone saw the ad and incessantly dialed the phone number of the uptown Sears-Roebuck to enquire about the mural. " I never did get back to the toast because I started calling the store." said Livingstone, now 91 years old. "I figured if I wanted it, I had to be the first one."
According to Livingstone, who has since retired from the school, the store manager decided to donate the mural to Livingstone because of her persistence. Shortly thereafter, Livingstone made arrangements to have the mural moved into the library at South Mecklenburg.
Angie Beasley, a librarian at South Mecklenburg, said the significance of the mural often goes unnoticed. "We need to do something with this, because some of the parents, a lot of the students and maybe even some of the teachers thought the high school teachers had done it, and I let them know," Beasley said. "The kids walk in and take a look at it. They know it's here, but they don't know how important it is."
Principal Marian Yates, for example, arrived at South Mecklenburg four years ago and realized the mural looked familiar. A Charlotte native, Yates did not immediately remember she had seen the art in Sears as a child. She has since learned the value of the mural, and wants to share it with the community. The school has no plans of removing the mural from its wall, even if it becomes a landmark. "We're proud of it, even though we didn't know what we had." Yates said. [The Charlotte Observer - October 22, 2003]
"As soon as you walk in (the library) you turn and see this green and orange and brown painting that is peeling and has a lot of damage," Hibner said. "My first impression was that thing has got to go." But in time, and after some research, she believes the school has a responsibility to preserve the mural and teach its history.
School wants aging painting to become historic landmark
A representative from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmark Commission will visit South Mecklenburg on Tuesday [October 28th, 2003] because the school is applying for the mural to become a historic landmark. Hibner said that if the commission deems the mural a landmark, the school could qualify for funding and grants offset the costs to clean and restore it. The mural highlights county history until the 1940's and features many highlights of local history, including the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence and the battle of Charlotte.
Michael Fitzgerald, Grandson of Eugene Montgomery, the mural's artist, said his family has limited information about the 12 murals around the nation that Sears commissioned his grandfather to paint. "We thought they were all gone in one way or another", Fitzgerald said.
Sears advertised in 1970 that it wanted to give away the mural due to remodeling. While eating breakfast one morning, South Mecklenburg librarian Muriel Livingstone saw the ad and incessantly dialed the phone number of the uptown Sears-Roebuck to enquire about the mural. " I never did get back to the toast because I started calling the store." said Livingstone, now 91 years old. "I figured if I wanted it, I had to be the first one."
According to Livingstone, who has since retired from the school, the store manager decided to donate the mural to Livingstone because of her persistence. Shortly thereafter, Livingstone made arrangements to have the mural moved into the library at South Mecklenburg.
Angie Beasley, a librarian at South Mecklenburg, said the significance of the mural often goes unnoticed. "We need to do something with this, because some of the parents, a lot of the students and maybe even some of the teachers thought the high school teachers had done it, and I let them know," Beasley said. "The kids walk in and take a look at it. They know it's here, but they don't know how important it is."
Principal Marian Yates, for example, arrived at South Mecklenburg four years ago and realized the mural looked familiar. A Charlotte native, Yates did not immediately remember she had seen the art in Sears as a child. She has since learned the value of the mural, and wants to share it with the community. The school has no plans of removing the mural from its wall, even if it becomes a landmark. "We're proud of it, even though we didn't know what we had." Yates said. [The Charlotte Observer - October 22, 2003]
the artist
EUGENE MONTGOMERY
Sears, Roebuck is happy to introduce the artist who designed and executed the beautiful mural, tracing the growth of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County.
Mr. Montgomery has spent much time working on commissions and meeting deadlines. But he has also exhibited, principally portraiture, and has won numerous prizes. He has painted many notables, including Dr. Vanevar Busch, Dr. Pierre Leconte du Nouy, and Knute Rockne. And he has murals in Savannah, Gorgia., Houston, Texas, Salt Lake City, Utah and Joliet and Chicago, Illinois. And now this new one in the Sears, Roebuck store in Charlotte.
He is a native of Port Arthur, Texas, studied at the Art Institute of Chicago. There he met Mrs. Montgomery, also a sudden. They have four children - three daughters, Sharon, Patricia, Carolyn, and one son, Jerry.
SEARS, ROEBUCK AND CO.
Editorial content by LEGGETT BLYTHE.
Taken from the Sears introduction leaflet from 1949.
Mr. Montgomery has spent much time working on commissions and meeting deadlines. But he has also exhibited, principally portraiture, and has won numerous prizes. He has painted many notables, including Dr. Vanevar Busch, Dr. Pierre Leconte du Nouy, and Knute Rockne. And he has murals in Savannah, Gorgia., Houston, Texas, Salt Lake City, Utah and Joliet and Chicago, Illinois. And now this new one in the Sears, Roebuck store in Charlotte.
He is a native of Port Arthur, Texas, studied at the Art Institute of Chicago. There he met Mrs. Montgomery, also a sudden. They have four children - three daughters, Sharon, Patricia, Carolyn, and one son, Jerry.
SEARS, ROEBUCK AND CO.
Editorial content by LEGGETT BLYTHE.
Taken from the Sears introduction leaflet from 1949.
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