9781467161763
Hidden in an urban oasis, the house museum now known as Historic Rosedale is one of the oldest and finest examples of Federal-style architecture in the Southeast. Constructed in 1815 by Charlotte tax collector and postmaster Archibald Frew, the house served as a private home for 173 years to five generations of intertwined families—the Frews, Caldwells, and Davidsons.
These families, along with several generations of Black families, both enslaved and free, were essential to the survival of this extraordinary property. Through the initiative of the home’s final occupants, the house and the immediately surrounding grounds were preserved. Today, Historic Rosedale, located three miles from uptown Charlotte, North Carolina, and adjoining the notable NoDa neighborhood, is open for guided tours of the furnished house and nine acres of gardens. Here, visitors will be intrigued by the beauty of the site and the stories of the many people, Black and White, who lived here. For over 200 years, Rosedale has served as tribute to the history and inhabitants of Mecklenburg County and the North Carolina Piedmont.
Author Cheralyn Lambeth is lead interpreter at Historic Rosedale and serves as the museum’s events coordinator and collections associate. Elizabeth Medearis Myers served as Rosedale’s former site manager and head gardener, and Ronald L. Schumann III is an associate professor specializing in hazards and cultural geography at the University of North Texas. They credit the staff, the board of directors, Rosedale’s African American Legacy Committee, and Atkins Library at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte for the success of this book.
