Sorting Out the New South City: Using Maps and Primary Sources to Uncover the Hidden History of Charlotte

In writing Sorting Out the New South City, Charlotte historian Tom Hanchett utilized city maps, newspapers, and government records to support his thesis that, beginning around 1900, Charlotte “sorted out” by race and class into socially and racially homogeneous neighborhoods. A generation before, most city blocks had held both white and black businesses and residents. National housing policies and local ordinances exacerbated the trend during the twentieth century, resulting in the largely separate black and white neighborhoods seen in Charlotte and similar cities today. Learn how Hanchett’s innovative use of city directories and maps revealed the hidden history of Charlotte and explore some of the digital resources that have been developed from his research, including CharlotteHistoryToolkit.com and Charlotte1911.org (https://charlotte1911.prospect.unc.edu/prsp-exhibit/exhibit1/).