The Charlotte 500, Lap 46: Davidson Family Cemetery

The Davidson family is one of the most important families in Mecklenburg County, if not North Carolina, history. Namesake of the town of Davidson, the family plantation and burying ground is located, of course, in...Huntersville, on Neck Road. Unfortunately, the last surviving members of the Davidson family are all childless, so this historic family will soon come to an end.

The family cemetery is worth a visit because it gives you a chance to drive Neck Rd (featured in a previous post) and is enclosed by one of the most beautiful rock walls I've ever scene. Among those buried in the cemetery are a signor of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence, veterans of the Revolutionary War, the Mexican War, and the Civil War (on the Confederate side, of course), and the first doctor in North Carolina to successfully remove the gall bladder.

In addition, a step from a building that served as Cornwallis's headquarters when he occupied Charlotte is located in the cemetery. (One of the Davidsons owned the downtown Charlotte building in the early 1900s and decided to remove the step to the family home as a historic momento.)

The Charlotte 500, Lap 44-45: King's Mountain

This one counts twice because it's two great places in one. First, and the main reason I wanted to visit, is it was the site of an important Revolution War battle, which you can read about here. Second, its location in a very woody spur of mountains, the park contains some great trails, camp sites, etc. Even better, the mountains aren't that big, so the trails are accessible to anyone in reasonably good health.