STEELE CREEK NEWS

Learn about the Meck Dec at Historical Society Meeting on April 30

(April 15, 2007) Ms. Jane Johnson from the Charlotte Mecklenburg Main Library will be the speaker for April 30th meeting of the Steele Creek Historical and Genealogical Society. She will tell about the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence and its significance in influencing America's Declaration of Independence. She will also be telling us about the upcoming celebration of its anniversary in May.

The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence was signed by a group of Mecklenburg County patriots on May 20, 1775. This is one of the two dates displayed on the North Carolina state flag. One of the signers was Robert Irwin who lived in the northern portion of Steele Creek that later became Berryhill Township. There is no actual physical document to prove the Meck Dec's existence, but Mecklenburg county residents and the entire state of North Carolina continue to celebrate it and its ideals.

The meeting will be at 7:00 P.M. on April 30 the Steele Creek Library (13620 Steele Creek Road).

The Society is planning a field trip and picnic for its May 28th meeting. The final arrangements have not been tied down, but the current plan is to tour Bethel Presbyterian Church and its cemetery on Hwy 557 in York County.

Mr. Dale Loberger will be the speaker for the June 25th meeting back at the library. Mr. Loberger is a geographic information systems (GIS) instructor with ESRI in Charlotte. He has done extensive research on The Great Wagon Road. His program should be interesting, especially to those who enjoy old maps and geography.

The Steele Creek Historical and Genealogical Society meets on the last Monday of each month, except July and December. All meetings are at the Steele Creek Branch Library except for the November Christmas feast and when the library is unavailable due to early voting. The alternate meeting site is the Central Steele Creek Presbyterian Church. Meetings begin at at 7:00 P.M. except for special times set for a function.

Each meeting features a guest speaker. Presentations cover various topics involving the history of Mecklenburg and York Counties, but emphasis on the Steele Creek area.

Mr. Judson Crow was the speaker for the January meeting. His subject was the Battle of Cowan's Ford that occurred in northern Mecklenburg County on February 1, 1781. Mrs. Jane Burdick spoke in February. She is from the Historic Doctor's Museum in Mint Hill and discussed medicines available to people in our area before the arrival of modem drug Companies. In March Ms. Lee Goodan and Ms. Leslie Kesler, staff members from the Charlotte Museum of History, spoke.

The Society has donated various photographs and other records to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Library System. These are available at the Steele Creek Library and at the Carolina Room and the Main Library.

Annual dues are $15.00 payable by January each year. A quarterly newsletter, GLEANINGS, is published in January, April, July, and October. Dues may be paid at any meeting or sent by mail to

               Steele Creek Historical and Genealogical Society
               P. O. Box 411711
               Charlotte, NC 28241

For more information on the Society and the history of Steele Creek, visit the Steele Creek Historical and Genealogical Society web site. Contact Linda Blackwelder to confirm meeting locations and times.