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History of Charlotte Series – Part 2: 1900s

For the Charlotte Community Library’s 130th birthday celebration, we are looking at the history of Charlotte and the surrounding areas, decade by decade. For our second blog in this series, we will examine the 1900s.

As a disclaimer, this is not a comprehensive list. This series of blogs are brief glimpses at the city’s history and some of the people who have lived here. If there is anything that catches your interest, please consider checking out the Charlotte Community Library’s materials for more information.

The Development of the Charlotte Library:

  • In 1902, the Charlotte City Council and the Library Board submitted an application for $10,000.00 to Andrew Carnegie to build a dedicated library building. Mr. Carnegie agreed to give Charlotte $12,000.00 with some stipulations:
    • The city of Charlotte had to pledge to raise 10% of the cost of maintenance each year.
    • The city had to furnish a suitable site for the new library building.
  • When the application for a new library was submitted to Andrew Carnegie, the Free Public Library had 24,579 books in circulation.
  • The Charlotte Carnegie Library would be built between 1902 and 1903. The Carnegie library would open to the public in 1903 and be used until 1994.
    • At the time of writing, the former Carnegie library is for sale for ~$350,000. Dear reader, this could be your chance to own a piece of Charlotte history!

Around Town:

  • A second team of horses were added to the Charlotte Fire Department in 1900, providing Mink and Mack, the first team, a much-needed break.
  • The Charlotte Sanitarium Hospital opened around 1904 and operated until the mid-1910s.
    • Several relics from the Sanitarium can be found at the Eaton County Courthouse Square Museum.
  • The cornerstone of the Charlotte Masonic Temple was laid in 1904.
  • “Moving Pictures” became more accessible in the early 1900s. The city of Charlotte had two theaters by 1905:
    • The Bijou, which was located under the Thomas Opera House. The Bijou was owned and operated by Sam Robinson.
    • The Gem, owned and operated by Bruce Hickey of Lansing. Unfortunately, the Gem would be closed by 1916.
  • The Charlotte Business Men’s Association was organized in 1908. The Michigan Federation of Club Women in Michigan published a cookbook in 1909. Several Charlotte area residents contributed recipes for the book, including:
    • Greturde B. Prindle
    • Dora L. Knapp
    • John Snyder
    • Miss Alice Brown
    • Belle M. Perry
    • Charlotte E. Searls
    • Emma W. Evans
    • Celia Otto
    • Grace Perry Nies
    • Hester L. McClue

Charlotte Businesses:

  • The Charlotte Brewing Company was established in the spring of 1900. The brewing company produced pale ale and London Porter with a capacity of 100 barrels per week.
    • Sadly, the Charlotte Brewing Company was forced to permanently close their doors in 1909 due to prohibition laws in Eaton County. Albert Henry Porter would pass away in September of 1909, preventing the company from reopening.
  • Munger Jennings Hardware, operated by J. W. Munger and C. M. Jennings, built a new hardware store at 224 – 226 South Cochran Avenue in 1904. The business would be located at this site until 1974.
  • Beach Manufacturing moved to Charlotte in 1903 or 1904. The factory was located at the end of Morrell Street (off North Cochran Avenue, right next to the railroad tracks).
  • John Dolson and Sons’s factory (located at 501 West Lovett Street) switched over from building carriages to automobiles in 1903.
    • By 1909, the Dolson’s factory had been bought by the Duplex Power Car Company.
  • In addition to the carriage/automobile factory, the Dolson family ran the Dolson Implement Company and the Dolson Brother’s furniture business.
  • Isaac R. Colborn and Willis B. Fulton established the Colborn-Fulton Lumber Company in 1908.
  • The Charlotte Manufacturing Company, which opened in 1873, closed in the late 1900s or early 1910s. By 1914 it had been replaced by another business.
  • By the 1900s, Mr. W. B. Otto and company’s horse breeding and selling business had grown so large that it was conducting business in several European countries. They were known as “one of America’s best importers and [horse] breeders.”
  • Dr. Cassius Samuel Sackett moved to Charlotte in 1903 and worked as a dentist for over 40 years. Dr. Sackett would retire in 1937.
    • A fun fact: Dr. Sackett would also serve as the first Chief of Staff at Hayes Green Beach Hospital.
  • Frank E. Beard and Arthur Vickery purchased George W. Foote’s drug store in 1900, providing prescriptions for the Charlotte Sanitarium Hospital’s patients.

Works Consulted:

Campion, Patricia A. Charlotte Michigan Historical Homes, People, and Businesses: Eaton County in the 1800’s and 1900’s. Book 1, Part 1. Vol. 1.1. 8 vols. Charlotte, Michigan: Patricia A. Campion, 2018.

Campion, Patricia A. Charlotte Michigan Historical Homes, People, and Businesses: Eaton County in the 1800’s and 1900’s. Book 1, Part 2. Vol. 1.2. 8 vols. Charlotte, Michigan: Patricia A. Campion, 2018.

Campion, Patricia A. Charlotte Michigan Historical Homes, People, and Businesses: Eaton County in the 1800’s and 1900’s. Book 1, Part 3. Vol. 1.3. 8 vols. Charlotte, Michigan: Patricia A. Campion, 2018.

Campion, Patricia A. Charlotte Michigan Historical Homes, People, and Businesses: Eaton County in the 1800’s and 1900’s. Book 2. Vol. 2. 8 vols. Charlotte, Michigan: Patricia A. Campion, 2019.

Campion, Patricia A. Charlotte Michigan Historical Homes, People, and Businesses: Eaton County in the 1800’s and 1900’s. Book 3. Vol. 3. 8 vols. Charlotte, Michigan: Patricia A. Campion, 2019.

Campion, Patricia A. Charlotte Michigan Historical Homes, People, and Businesses: Eaton County in the 1800’s and 1900’s. Book 4. Vol. 4. 8 vols. Charlotte, Michigan: Patricia A. Campion, 2019.

Campion, Patricia A. Charlotte Michigan Historical Homes, People, and Businesses: Eaton County in the 1800’s and 1900’s. Book 5. Vol. 5. 8 vols. Charlotte, Michigan: Patricia A. Campion, 2020.

Campion, Patricia A. Charlotte Michigan Historical Homes, People, and Businesses: Eaton County in the 1800’s and 1900’s. Book 6. Vol. 6. 8 vols. Charlotte, Michigan: Patricia A. Campion, 2020.

Campion, Patricia A. Charlotte Michigan Historical Homes, People, and Businesses: Eaton County in the 1800’s and 1900’s. Book 7. Vol. 7. 8 vols. Charlotte, Michigan: Patricia A. Campion, 2021.

Campion, Patricia A. Charlotte Michigan Historical Homes, People, and Businesses: Eaton County in the 1800’s and 1900’s. Book 8. Vol. 8. 8 vols. Charlotte, Michigan: Patricia A. Campion, 2021.

Charlotte 1863-1963. Charlotte, Michigan: Charlotte Republican-Tribune, 1963.

Spirits of the Past: An Intoxicating Look at the History of Alcohol, Temperance, Prohibition, and Brewing in Eaton County, Michigan. Charlotte, Michigan: Eaton County Historical Commission, 2017.

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