New Charlotte museum exhibit celebrates the Meck Dec at 250

Tradition holds that Captain James Jack, seen in this sculpture by Chas Fagan, at 4th Street and King Drive, rode the Meck Dec to the Continental Congress from Charlotte in 1775. Photo courtesy Chas Fagan

At the corner of 4th Street and Kings Drive, just shy of uptown Charlotte, a bronze sculpture depicts a man, determined, headed north atop his galloping horse. “The Spirit of Mecklenburg,” by artist Chas Fagan, commemorates the journey of James Jack. He’s the tavern owner-turned-Revolutionary War captain who, in 1775, rode what would become the most storied document in Charlotte history to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia.

The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence, “Meck Dec” for short, was supposedly signed by local patriots that year, deeming themselves free from British rule, a full year and some change before the American Declaration of Independence was signed. Tuesday, May 20, marks 250 years since the Meck Dec’s signing.

To commemorate the anniversary, the Charlotte Museum of History’s exhibit, Meck Dec 250, will explore the origins of the document, its use as a symbol throughout Charlotte’s history and its continued value to the region. “The exhibit is about the memory of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence. And I say it that way because the exhibit emphasizes the ways that people in Charlotte have celebrated, commemorated and critiqued the Meck Dec in the 250 years since it was supposedly written,” said Nolan Dahm, exhibits manager at the museum.

The original version of this story ran in The Charlotte Observer.