DNC host Charlotte is a city founded in controversy

Independence Square in downtown Charlotte, N.C., is one of several places that will draw delegates who are in town fo the Democratic National Convention. The bronze statue is one of four at the intersection of Trade and Tryon streets representing commerce, transportation, energy and the future.

CHARLOTTE -- When all is said and done, perhaps it was destiny that Charlotte host the Democratic National Convention -- and that its choice be controversial.

After all, the city and surrounding county of Mecklenburg are the main players in one of North Carolina's great historic controversies: whether a document known as the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence was signed here more than a year before that other Declaration of Independence (the one drafted by Thomas Jefferson) showed up in 1776.

The Mecklenburg declaration wasn't published until 1819, but the date of its supposed signing, May 20, 1775, is printed on the North Carolina state flag, even though most historians no longer believe the document ever existed.

"Although it's a point of pride in Charlotte, most North Carolina historians follow the line that it was not an authentic document," says Mike Hill, research branch supervisor at the N.C. Office of Archives History. "The last copies are said to have burned in a fire in the early 19th century. Its mentions in history books are based on the memories of aging men." (Historians don't, however, question the legitimacy of a different document called the Mecklenburg Resolves, signed 11 days after the "Meck Dec.")

Controversy aside, delegates in town for the convention, which begins Monday, will find several places in and around Charlotte where they can soak up a little political history. Whether or not you believe the Mecklenburg lore, most out-of-towners do make a stop in the place named for the declaration: Independence Square, now the center of the city's financial district, at the intersection of Trade and Tryon streets. The square is home to four sculptures representing transportation, labor, business, and the future, and a look up at the surrounding skyscrapers shows "the significance of Charlotte as a banking and business center," says Robert Anthony, curator of the North Carolina collection at the University of North Carolina. Charlotte is the nation's second-largest banking center, after New York.

Republicans have enjoyed watching Democrats squirm over the choice of Charlotte, the largest city in a state with high unemployment and an unpopular Democratic governor who's not seeking a second term. Even some typical Democratic supporters, including unions, weren't happy with the selection of a city in a right-to-work state.

But residents have long shaken off insults, so perhaps their skin is thick enough to take whatever pot shots come their way. In 1986, architecture critic Robert A.M. Stern called Charlotte "the ugliest collection of third-rate buildings in America." And as far back as 1791, President George Washington called Charlotte a "trifling place" after staying overnight at an inn on South Tryon Street.

A few years later, in 1795, the nation's 11th president, James K. Polk, was born on a 150-acre farm south of Charlotte in nearby Pineville, and delegates with an interest in history can visit the site today. Polk lived there until 1806, when his family moved to Tennessee.

Later, he returned to his home state and graduated in 1818 from the University of North Carolina. The president's great uncle, Thomas, was one of Charlotte's early settlers and a general in the Revolutionary War. He built his home where Independence Square is now located, and a nearby park is named for him.

Political junkies will find a connection to another president at the Duke Mansion, also known as White Oaks, a historic 20-room bed-and-breakfast that was once the private mansion of industrialist James B. Duke, Doris Duke's father. Here in 1940, Frances Ann Cannon, daughter of a family that made its fortune in textiles, married John Hersey, future author of Hiroshima.

Guests included John F. Kennedy, who was about to graduate from Harvard. He'd dated Cannon for a year, but he was Catholic and she was Protestant. Her parents ended the relationship by sending her on a world tour.

Delegates looking to sneak away from the convention speeches long enough to sample some Southern food might start with Price's Fried Chicken Coop, where former Charlotte Observer reporter and amateur historian Lew Powell says the only thing that's changed since 1962 is a sign advising customers to turn off their cell phone.

But be careful if you're an out-of-towner asking where to get good barbecue. Purists were outraged when Michelle Obama mentioned barbecue as one of Charlotte's virtues. After all, aficionados know good barbecue must be cooked outside over wood, and you can't do that in the big city.

Despite the kerfuffle, Tom Hanchett of the Levine Museum of the New South says the city does have a few good places, including Midwood Smokehouse and Mac's Speed Shop (barbecue in a biker bar). Two new joints have also opened near the convention site, but if you want the real thing, head out of town to Bridges in nearby Shelby.

For those craving sweets, check out Amelie's, a French bakery on South Tryon. And if your sweet tooth is acting up after business hours, drive to the original Amelie's in the NoDa section of Charlotte, which is open 24/7, a rarity in the South.

For ethnic food, Hanchett recommends Central Avenue, including the Golden Bakery (Middle Eastern), El Pulgarcito De America (Salvadoran), and Ben Thahn (Vietnamese).

Democrats with a mischievous -- or perhaps a masochistic -- streak might want to dine at the Capital Grille. It was here in December, 2005, that prosecutors said Jim Black -- at the time North Carolina's Democratic Speaker of the House -- made a deal involving cash bribes. In June, a year after Black's release from prison, Republicans held a news conference at the restaurant to try to link the current Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Walter Dalton, to the scandal.

Delegates looking for culture alongside their politics will find at least three museums not far from the convention center: The Mint Museum (housed in a former U.S. Mint), the Levine Museum of the New South, and the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture. Delegates might especially like the Mint Museum's exhibit of pins worn by former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, on display past the convention. Or they can visit the Billy Graham Library, where exhibits pay homage to the evangelist who has met with every president since Harry Truman.

They can also walk to the NASCAR Hall of Fame or drive to the Carolinas Aviation Museum near the airport, home to the "Miracle on the Hudson" plane.

All in all, while there's enough in Charlotte to satisfy history buffs and sightseers alike, those seeking comparisons between President Obama and Polk, the native son who grew up to be president, might be hard-pressed. Polk, a proponent of "Manifest Destiny" who helped expand the nation's boundaries, kept a campaign promise that is completely at odds with Obama's reason for coming here: He stepped down after just one term.

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Independence Square

At the intersection of Trade and Tryon streets stand four bronze statues, one on each corner. Three statues -- commerce, transportation, and energy -- look toward the fourth, which represents the future.

The nearby Bechtler Museum of Art charges admission but you can take pictures for free standing beneath the 17-foot-tall sculpture "Firebird," a new favorite spot for tourist photos.

The square is named for the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence. Though widely disputed, some claim that the Mecklenburg document was signed May 20, 1775, more than a year before the Declaration of Independence -- the one written by Thomas Jefferson -- was ratified by the colonies on July 4, 1776.

Queens Road West

A wide street with million-dollar homes, Queens Road West is part of the Myers Park neighborhood developed at the turn of the 20th century by the firm of John Nolen of Cambridge, Mass., renowned for urban planning. Charlotte textile, banking, and utility company families lived there. A Nolen employee, Earl Sumner Draper, planted trees before houses went up, and today rows of willow oaks create what has been called "a green cathedral."

Houses here typically don't have "for sale" signs. That's too gauche. Instead, they're advertised as "available."

Frescoes

Ben Long, who grew up in Statesville, N.C., studied fresco painting in Italy before bringing the art to churches in his home state. His largest and first secular fresco is a three-panel painting in the Bank of America Corporate Center representing themes of making/building, chaos/creativity, and planning/knowledge.

Another Long fresco titled "Continuum" is in the three-story archway leading to the courtyard at Transamerica Square. It portrays the many faces of North Carolina, including the UNC Tar Heel mascot and former Bank of America CEO Hugh McColl.

Tours

Several self-guided walking tours can be found online at www.charlottesgotalot.com. One starts at the NASCAR Hall of Fame and goes past the Bechtler, Mint, and Levine museums with a stop at Settlers' Cemetery, where town founder and Revolutionary War hero Thomas Polk is buried.

The 24-stop tour ends at the Epicentre, an entertainment facility with great views.

The Green

The Green, a 1.5-acre downtown park at 435 S. Tryon St., is a literary-themed park with sculptures of giant books, pages, and a walkway of sounds.

Bright signs mark the intersections of author names, including "Emily" and "Bronte," "Herman" and "Melville," and "Alice" and "Walker."