How Do We Connect Our Past And Future Locally?

Keep It Local, by Barbara Lawrence – May 23, 2012

One of my favorite quotes is on the Heritage Sculpture at the National Archives in Washington DC.  "THE HERITAGE OF THE PAST IS THE SEED THAT BRINGS FORTH THE HARVEST OF THE FUTURE"

This quote was also placed on a plaque many years ago in Mount Holly on the outside wall of the current Mount Holly Archives building.

 

Remembering what has connected us

Memorial Day weekend has become a time to remember those who gave their lives in service that we may continue as a nation of free people. As we are thankful, consider those who came before us right here in the Catawba River area. Most of us give little consideration that the original date was established to honor those who died in the Civil War.  In search of my own family history, I have found there were many soldiers lost from right here in our area. I hope we don't forget that Americans share a common bond in the creation of a nation under an idea of freedom. Working together is necessary to protect this future and our resources.

Locations established along horse-drawn wagon trails and river crossings back in the 1700s still serve the growing population of our area today. We don't know our neighbors as people used to many years ago. Our daily movements are more erratic and fast paced. 

1789 Mecklenburg County included Gaston, and Charlotte is the small circle to the right of the Catawba River.
Also notice that the big square is Indian Land and not the square of Center City Charlotte on most current maps.

Preserving our region's valuable food and water resources

Our region's first settlers came here from the North before the Revolutionary War because they had heard about our region's bountiful resources, including land and water for farms. 

Today we remain fortunate to have good drinking water (most of it drawn from Mountain Island Lake), local food and food from around the world. Especially since most of us don't grow our own food anymore, the local farmer's markets in Mount Holly, Belmont and West Charlotte provide us with more than food. Supporting local farmers gives us an opportunity to know them personally and learn from them. 

We have recently had the benefit of new investments in upgrading grocery stores. Bi-Lo in Belmont at 6507 W Wilkinson Blvd, Bi-Lo at 2924 Mount Holly-Huntersville Road in Charlotte,  and Food Lion at 617 Highland St. in Mount Holly just completed extensive renovations. We also have seen improvements at Food Lion at 237 Mount Holly-Huntersville Road.  Harris Teeter is located at Hwy 16 and 3540 Mount Holly-Huntersville Road.  

The changes seen today in produce sections in grocery stores illustrates a public demand for healthy food choices. You may have heard of the food deserts in some of our nation's urban neigborhoods. Our access to food and water is something we shouldn't take for granted, as competing forces and a changing world ensure that nothing will remain the same.  

You can help nurture young farmers this summer

The Catawba River District is working with several groups to support and expand local agriculture, including school vegetable gardens where our children are learning by growing their own foods. In fact, the River District is looking for volunteers to nurture these young gardens throughout the coming season while the children are out of school. Interested? CLICK to learn how you can help.

See if you can tell from the 1789 map above where our Catawba River District (below in red) is located today. 

Knowing  our River District neighbors and resources is important to our future.

More Memorial Day thoughts

For other links on Memorial Day history, a couple are provided here:

• "The Meaning of Memorial Day" (Forbes.com)
• Memorial Day history (USmemorialday.org)

About Barbara Lawrence – Barbara has a background in economic development and real-estate research. Her work has included revitalization of downtown Boone, downtown Gastonia and now Mount Holly.