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President James K Polk’s Uncle One of Charlotte’s First Residents

Charlotte, North Carolina is not only the largest city in the state is full of great cultural attractions and also has an incredible history. It’s one of the oldest cities in the nation and the area that is now considered to be the city was first established in 1755 and it was incorporated and officially recognized as a town in 1768. This occurred when Thomas Polk was traveling with Thomas Spratt and his family. Polk, who was the uncle of President James K. Polk and Spratt stopped and decided to build their family houses there. One of the paths that was located very near to their residences was the historic Great Wagon Road.

This major colonial route was a course through the Appalachian Mountains by way of the Great Appalachian Valley. It began in Pennsylvania and continued to North Carolina and on through to Georgia. This was an extremely popular travel route and throughout the eighteenth century it received a large number of German and Scottish and Irish immigrants.

The pathway took the wagons and carriages through the Pennsylvania towns of York and Lancaster. It road crossed the Potomac River and led through the Shenandoah Valley into Virginia. It continued on to pass along into the Blue Ridge Mountains on the east side and went on through to North Carolina and finally Georgia. The other North Carolina cities it passed through include Salisbury and Winston-Salem. It ended near the Savannah River at Augusta, Georgia. This historic route was a fundamental travel aspect of multiple individuals and early families as the new country was being carved out. It can be compared in iconic significance to the more contemporary Route 66. And while tourists staying in one of the luxury Charlotte hotels may be more familiar with Route 66, residents of Charlotte are certainly aware of the Great Wagon Road.

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