MINT HILL, NC – On Tuesday, February 22, The Mint Hill Historical Society had its annual meeting at the Carl J McEwen Historic Village. It was a time of celebration, laughter, reminiscing, and sharing updates leading into the rest of this year.
Stan Davis, the Society President, welcomed everyone and got the night off to a great start. He spoke about all the hard work that went into the Historic Village Barn. “Now we can do anything we want to do,” Davis spoke. “This team did an outstanding job. The barn is available to rent for parties and events. Interested parties can reach out to Sue Todd by email at minthillhistory@gmail.com,” Davis continued.
He praised all the hard work that Society Members had done to keep up the Village and get the Barn finalized. Davis singled out Tim Rath for his dedication to the barn’s construction. He mentioned all the effort done by Billy Hawkins and his eagle scouts as well as the landscaping work completed by newly confirmed Board Member, Clay Davenport. Finally, Davis honored Barry Stevenson for all the time and skill donated to create much of the beautiful woodwork displayed in the Barn.
Mayor Brad Simmons spoke next about the importance of organizations like the Mint Hill Historical Society. “History gives us the opportunity to learn from our mistakes. It helps us become more compassionate as people and more impartial as decision-makers,” Simmons stated, “but I don’t think history is only filled with mistakes. I think Mint Hill has a lot of great history that deserves to be repeated.”
Mayor Simmons spoke about the importance of the younger generation knowing the history of Mint Hill. “Commitment and dedication are the virtues our founders built this town upon,” he explained. “By bringing history to life for our children, we help them develop their understanding of the world, teach them life lessons about success and failures and how we can learn from both, and can help children learn the importance of understanding other cultures and points of view.”
After Simmons thanked the Society and requested that they keep up all their good work, Becky Griffin, the Executive Director, came forward. Griffin shared some interesting facts about Independence High and its history. “Independence High school opened in September 1966. The school was built to help Charlotte Mecklenburg County desegregate the local high schools. It was named by the students to commemorate the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence,” Becky informed, “and the famous Independence cannon was won by the student body by collecting Lays food labels in a fundraiser. So, the tradition of hard work in Independence Patriot students has been around from the very beginning.”
However, the night wasn’t just about the past. There was a buzzing excitement about the future. Barbara Lowe let us know the Farmer’s Market will be returning to Mint Hill this April or May. Interested local farmers or anyone who knows an interested farmer can reach out to the Society or visit the Mint Hill Farmers Market Facebook page for information about dates and pricing.
The Society also announced that the Mint Hill Rodeo will be returning this year. There will be PeeWee and Junior Rodeo events. Volunteers are needed to help with a multitude of jobs: parking, tickets, concessions, trash clean up, and more. The Society hopes each member of the Mint Hill community will help bring this event back to their hometown in a big way!
Contact the Society at (704) 573-0726 or www.minthillhistory.com for more information about any items mentioned in this article.
