Capt. Jack’s Ride

The map shows Capt. Jac’s likely route from Charlotte to Philadelphia overlaid on this reproduction of a map of Colonial roads in 1775 from the National Archives. To view map, click here. Charlotte Observer May 21, 2010

Capt. Jack rides again

Under a brilliant sun Thursday, Charlotte’s most recognizable Revolutionary War figure, Capt. James Jack, rode again – and will ride forever more. At 12:15 p.m., 235 years – and 15 minutes – after Col. Thomas Polk is believed to have read papers declaring Mecklenburg’s independence from England, members of Charlotte’s May 20th Society took the […]

Finding Charlotte’s Soul in Tales of Early Rebellion

Chas Fagan’s 3-ton bronze, “The Spirit of Mecklenburg,” to be unveiled today, ought to help Charlotteans better understand their city, where it came from and, just maybe, where it’s going. The statue depicts Capt. James Jack, a tavern keeper in pre-Revolutionary Charlotte – a rebellious hamlet founded where two trading paths crossed and named for […]

Statue salutes ‘Meck Dec,’ its mystery

Tightly wrapped in parachute nylon, a 3-ton statue set to be unveiled Thursday honoros the spirit of a Charlotte man who helped fan the flames of rebellion as war clouds gathered in the summer of 1775. His name was James Jack. He was a Trade Street tavern-keeper, a captain in the local militia. Read more. David […]

Behind every successful rebel

Captain James Jack is on his way – and he’ll be greeted by Cokie Roberts. Roberts, a national political correspondent for ABC News and National Public Radio comes to Charlotte next week as part of the city’s annual MecDec celebration. The day marks the region’s role in the rebellion that led to the Revolutionary War. […]

The ‘Spirit of Mecklenburg’ lives next door

The “Spirit of Mecklenburg” statue of Capt. James Jack will be unveiled by the May 20th Society atthe corner or Fourth Street and Kings Drive in uptown Charlotte on May 20 at 11:30 a.m. But you don’t have to be a history buff to feel like you know the man riding the horse: He’s the […]

Dandelion Press: Meet Captain Jack

We all know, or I hope we do, about Captain Jack, “The Paul Revere of the South” who carried the Mecklenburg Declaration of May 20, 1775 by express to the Continental Congress in Philadephia. His journey established Charlotte Town and Mecklenburg County as the first to cast off the yoke of British oppression and declare […]

Honoring Our Revolutionary Patriots

We honor our early patriot Captain James Jack. He is recognized by historians as a patriotic hero to the people of Mecklenburg, Union and Cabarrus counties. He represents the spirit that has defined our area since its inception over 250 years ago. In May of 1775, two revolutionary documents demanding personal, religious, and economic freedoms […]

America’s Self-Validating Tradition

Mecklenburg County – The impatient patriots here had splendidly short fuses in 1775. Those who tilled the startling red clay or who lived in the town named for George III’s wife Charlotte might have been bemused had they foreseen the annual hoopla that commemorates July 4, 1776. Read more. George Will, National Columnist Charlotte Observer […]

On May 20, Patriots Took a Stand in N.C.

In 1762, a section of land from Anson County was set aside in western North Carolina to form a new county. Where two stagecoach roads crossed, a little town was founded in honor of King George’s wife Queen Charlotte. Read more. Etta Reid Greensboro News and Record June 29, 2008