Liberty Walk Letterbox Hybrid

This letterbox-hybrid will lead you along a tour of the downtown Charlotte locations important to the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence as well as a few unrelated but interesting stops. The journey to the cache will be a little less than a mile and a half along paved sidewalks. Begin at the posted coordinates where you will find a large monument with Liberty Walk on the streetside. From here, travel along the sidewalk toward the northeast. Counting Liberty Walk tiles, travel northeast until you reach the ninth (9) tile.

Over your right shoulder is a large green sign for a historic store once in business in Charlotte. The plaque there details where the store has been moved to. Travel northeast along the sidewalk and count the Liberty Walk tiles until you reach a plaque in the ground denoting the new location of the historic store. The number of tiles represents 'A' in the final coordinates of this cache.

Continue five (5) tiles northeast until you reach the street corner and cross the street to the northeast. Continue four (4) tiles and stop. There is a monument denoting the location of Liberty Hall Academy, originally known as Queen’s College. It was erected in 1913 by the Daughters of the American Revolution to honor the Trustees of Liberty Hall.

Continue three (3) tiles northeast until you reach the plaque on the ground denoting the location of Queen's College which began in 1760, as Liberty Hall Academy. Plans were made to convert it into a college. Leaders decided to pay for the college by a tax of sixpence a gallon on all rum or other "spirituous liquors" brought into the county. England's King George III would not support the college, however, and denied a charter. Since the college wouldn't be under the control of the Church of England, George didn't want an institution "stirring up trouble among people and raising hell about having to pay taxes to England."

Continue northeast along the sidewalk counting the Liberty Walk tiles until you reach a plaque in the ground referencing 'Queens Museum'. The number of tiles represents 'B' in the final coordinates of this cache. Queen's college was now called "Queen's Museum" and operated without a charter. A second request for support from England was made, and denied. This refusal severely angered the trustees of the school. How could someone literally thousands of miles away dictate how their lives could be run, and how their children would be educated?

George's fears turned out to be well-founded. It was at the college, some historians believe, that the first discussions were held that led to the adoption of a Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence on May 20, 1775. In that declaration, the rebellious settlers of Charlotte Town renounced once and for all any allegiance to the King of England.

As fighting in the American Revolution escalated, classes were suspended and the building was turned into a hospital for injured American troops. British general Cornwallis eventually took over the building and used it as a hospital for his own injured men. The British expected an easy time in Charlotte Town, but found anything but. To hide casualties, dead British soldiers were buried in hidden graves behind the building. After sustaining losses in the area, Cornwallis would flee Charlotte and leave the building almost in ruins. The college would never recover from the war. It would move to Salisbury, and Liberty Hall would reopen as a high school in Charlotte.

Had the college survived the Revolutionary War, Charlotte — not Chapel Hill — would have claimed the nation’s first public university. Instead of still standing as the oldest public institution in the country (as Chapel Hill does today), Queen's College is simply a footnote in history, showing the determination of early settlers to be free. The present day Queen's University in Charlotte has no ties with this school, but it did use the name as inspiration.

Walk one (1) tile northeast, cross the street at the crosswalk and continue four (4) tiles to the northeast. There is a monument to the left denoting an American politician, lawyer, and slaveholder who served in cabinet level positions in the Confederate States of America, including Secretary of War and Secretary of State.

Continue northeast to the plaque in the ground noting the location of the British encampment in Charlotte. From September to October 1780 the British Army was encamped in Charlotte. There were about 4,000 people, including officers, soldiers, loyalists, laborers, settlers and camp followers. This also included a number of slaves who had been promised their freedom if they would run away from their masters and join the British side. The encampment made a square centered on the courthouse, which was at the intersection of Trade and Tryon streets. The marker here sits in what would have been the southernmost part of their camp. Four cannons were set up at the crossroads.

Continue six (6) tiles northeast, cross the street at the crosswalk and continue five (5) tiles until you reach the marker recognizing the Battle of Charlotte. On September 26, 1780 the British army, under the command of General Cornwallis, advanced on Charlotte Town, directly along what is now South Tryon Street. The British expected little or no resistance from the "twenty houses built on two streets" that crossed at right angles, where a courthouse stood.

As the British cavalry approached, they were met with musket fire from a small band of American troops that were hiding on the sides of the street and under the courthouse. These troops were comprised of the North Carolina militia, the Mecklenburg County mounted militia, and the Lincoln County mounted militia. While they didn't expect to be able to overtake the British, they wanted to put up a good fight and cause them as much trouble as possible.

The British cavalry broke, retreated and charged again but they were driven back once more by musket fire. Lord Cornwallis himself rode up and harshly criticized the troops. They advanced again and were surrounding the courthouse when a third volley pushed them back yet again.

The Americans, knowing that they were overwhelmed, retreated up North Tryon Street. The British followed until they reached a muddy creek (about where the Brookshire Expressway is today). They stood their ground, forcing the British to halt and advance on them. After two volleys, the Americans retreated again and continued up the Salisbury Road (now North Tryon Street). They came to a small creek about three miles from town (the site where Historic Rosedale Plantation stands today). The patriots again took a stand and once again forced the British army to halt and advance. Overwhelmed again, the Americans began to retreat.

From this point, the Americans were essentially running for their lives, with both sides mounted on horseback. The British cavalry caught up with the Americans near where Sugar Creek Church is today as Captain Graham was severely wounded and left for dead. At "Sassafras Fields" (near the UNC Charlotte campus today), several Americans were killed and wounded. When the British reached Mallard Creek, they found the main American army, under General William Lee Davidson, on the other side. It was getting dark, so the British decided to call off the pursuit and returned to Charlotte.

General Cornwallis had vastly underestimated the residents of Charlotte Town, as he expected to move quickly through the area and complete his conquest of the Carolinas. He would have to stop here for a few days to regroup. His men were becoming ill, food was scarce, and he was surrounded by hostile enemies. Two weeks later, he would hear the staggering news of the British defeat at King’s Mountain and return to South Carolina. The stand taken here prevented Cornwallis from capturing North Carolina and gave time for the Americans to set up Cornwallis' capture in Virginia.

Cornwallis would complain that Charlotte was "an agreeable village, but in a damned rebellious country" and refer to the city as "a veritable hornet’s nest of rebellion." Proud Charlotteans would then nickname the city “The Hornet’s Nest.”

Continue northeast along the sidewalk and count the Liberty Walk tiles until you reach a large marker in the sidewalk with an accompanying monument regarding important history for the state as well as this location. The number of tiles represents 'C' in the final coordinates of this cache. Continue two (2) tiles to the northeast and note the plaque on the ground to the right.

Look north toward the intersection and continue two (2) tiles to the northwest, cross the street and continue two (2) more tiles northwest. To your left is a park dedicated to a man who was an early settler, surveyor, state legislator, Justice of the Peace, founder of Mecklenburg County and of Charlotte, and a colonel in the American Continental Army, serving under General Washington, during the Revolution. His house stood diagonally across the street from this park. Two stones in this park give more details of his life and accomplishments. Other stones tell the early history of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County and are worth reading.

Continue one (1) tile northwest and you will be at a plaque signifying the location of an historical inn where President Washington most likely stayed during his tour of Charlotte on May 28th, 1791.

Continue four (4) tiles to the northwest. There may or may not be an owl perched to your left. Continue four (4) more tiles to the northwest and cross the street. Here you will follow three (3) round tiles to the location of a monument noting the home of a key person in the Mecklenburg Independence, a Captain in the Mecklenburg Militia. He lived here and ran the tavern owned by his father. When the Mecklenburg Declaration and the Mecklenburg Resolves were signed on May 20 and May 31, 1775, he volunteered to ride to Philadelphia and present them to the Continental Congress. This was a long and difficult trip and was especially dangerous since the documents he was carrying would be considered treasonous by any British Government Official who found them in his possession. A bronze statue of him, riding off to Philadelphia is located in the Trail of History in Little Sugar Creek Greenway, 1.03 miles southeast of here at N 35 13.691' W 80 50.667' but you do not need to visit this statue to find the cache. It is simply a nice tribute to this individual. 'D' in the final coordinates will be 'A' plus 'B'.

Follow the three (3) round tiles back to the southeast and cross the street at the crosswalk to the northeast. Here you will locate one (1) round tile and a nearby plaque noting a historical church in Charlotte town.

Continue ten (10) round tiles to the northeast and cross the street before locating another lone (1) round tile. To your left is the location of the grave of pioneers of this area. 'E' in the final coordinates will be 'B' plus 'C'.

Turn right and cross the street to the southeast. Continue past four (4) square tiles, two (2) round tiles and four (4) square tiles to the plaque marking the location of the of significance in the Battle of Charlotte.

Continue one (1) tile southeast, cross the street and continue southeast along the sidewalk counting the Liberty Walk tiles. This number divided by two represents 'F' in the final coordinates. Cross the street to the southeast and you will find a lone (1) plaque at the corner. You now possess the information needed to locate the cache:

N 35° 13.EBD W 080° 50.CAF

At the final coordinates, there is concrete bench encircling a prominent figure in the founding of Charlotte town. Locate the southernmost point of this concrete bench and reach under to locate the cache. You will need to do this with stealth as to not bring attention to the location of this cache but have some minor cover to assist you with this.

The cache contains a stamp and a small log. Please do not take the stamp. There is not an inkpad in the cache so you will need to bring your own if you wish to use the stamp in your own personal log book. The log is small but will be replaced when full. Please replace the cache in the same manner as which you found it.

To finish the Liberty Walk (and to continue back towards the location in which you began the cache) return to the lone tile at the corner, cross the street to the southeast at the crosswalk and continue ten (10) tiles. Here you will find a plaque about a remarkable and influential person in the Charlotte area.

Cross the road to the northwest and continue six (6) tiles to another plaque noting the origin of a well-known store. Continue two (2) tiles northwest to a plaque in the sidewalk marking the location of the home of Thomas Polk. Continue three (3) more tiles to the northwest and you will once again be at Independence Square. There is a historical marker for Nathanael Greene just northeast of this point. The starting coordinates for this cache are to the south down Tryon Street.