The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-05-03
rur NAVY YARD
At CHARLOTTE
coofcderacy Established 1t In
land Soon After the Fight Be-
tween the Monitor and the
Merrimac

fU pEtk kRR&
Merrimac
G the existence of a navy
| yard in Charlotte has
lA| = !: :: E: E: :: !: :: !: 6: :: {: :: : !: :: !: :: ::
a been doubted and de-
A rided. it is we'll to tell
Ik its story while there are
TA still some persons sur
yiving who knew of it
and worked in 1t.
have found a num-
L ber of the workmen
~.aco whose memory has aided
ana p'ld here give the true history
m'u nana charlotte Navy Yard
sfter the fight between the
;tar and the Merrimac, it became
Moment . to the Confederate govern
Apo hat Il would not be possible to
mT H Tnrfo}k. and the United States
nVu uould soon take possession Of
40" 10, nor+ and navy yard. SO naval
u we're sent to the interior in
W. ~ snr4ng Of 1852 to select a site to
ubtah all the valuable movable prop
49," "+ in tha ward would be taken.
rEa7- came along the only railroad
,ban far enough inland to be safe,
and reached Charlotte on Their ms
o|on Both the officers, Capt W. ID.
Nurdaugh, and, 1 hink, apt VII
Ham parker. were old friends Of Mr..
Iphr wilkes. during his IA years e t
,j.a in me United States navy ASA
1S,D and Of course he met and well
'omal them. on talking about their
,mpst he showed them a place he had
reoertly purchased, lying about 900
feet along the railroad. with 100 feet
front on East Trade street. h
-hey thought exactly suited to the
nurDose, far enough inland to be safe
nom attack by a. and lying on the
onl, railroad which connected Rich
moEd with the Southern States Of the
Confpdarary. So the Confederate
government bought the property, on
promise Of pay.
! large quantity Of material and
machinery pas moved here from Nor
rolk, and coke ovens, foundry and
machine shops erected. A wooden
landing stage was built from the yard
20 the railroad for convenience in
loading and unloading. This was car
RED as far as the back of a brick
building on Trade street near Col
TX ~ IN'tAltoLE IibS I1IoS Al4ctA VI
naval stores, and was then and for
many Years called The Navy Yard
Wharf" subsequently 1t gave the
name to al the cotton districts about
roleSp street which has always been
known, even to this day. as The
Wharf, IN enduring reminder OF the
navy yard at Charlotte.
No guns were cast there. accord
ing to the testimony Of Capt. H. Ash
ton Ramsey. who was officer in
charge, But all sorts Of repairs, am
Mbhitlo0, Il carriages, castings and
wood work. The coal used was OBJ
famed from Egypt, n. G, and the
coke vas made On the premises.
There was d large force Of naval
Cheers and their families, living in
,~haF!otte Tor these four years: Capt.
T. l. Pa8e, afterwards General Page
~ NE e. : A. was commander Of the
posi-. having supervision of all the
apartments. He occupied the mint
WIN ms family, having his Offices
there also.
apt S~pottswO0d WAS also one OF
w. superior officers, and his family
'.TI 81 nFSt On East Ninth street.
1"r N~onMaldant Of the navy yard
api. II. Ashton Ramsay, who
III bdilllnOre, ana VINO has
@IS" Huch information about it in
.rsp'hs" to "a letter from Miss Violet
mc1ahdeT He told Of a large trip
tanner which vas part of the ma
wbich WHY Wrought from Norfolk and
u~ .S" WIS Il great curiosity here. /
ro l7member Captain Wilkes taking
ratt see II work. With one blow It
tho d lump OF iron and the next
gan,, po'ufToLs mass came down so
Tn4aS a. only 10 crack an egg placed
ns @any "orkmen came with the
fainter from Norfolk, and their
u are with us still:
'uIpepper. BROOKE
u " y Grimes Farthing
oh. W. Crimes Cope Smith
tbo D~.eF men of this vicinity entered
R0hoH% fo' Martin Frazier. Thomas
hathv = 1ohn Garabaldi, John Aber-
WbtSoHh Rjgier and ,nanv more
thjng The navy yard became a.
s tang Of the past many of these
tain Wi1f Sld good men entered Cap
mrg likes service in the MeckIen-
cd 9n H2l "orhs, where thew remain
I'd fhsiL death OF infrrnitv ter1ninat-
It vas bi@oors, 40 years forwards
fca,jan ''"ays . subject of great rrati-
~ i- IN 49,