That modest dwelling, which once stood near present-day Randolph and Caswell streets in Charlotte, was the home of Thomas Spratt and the location of the first court held in Mecklenburg County, on February 26, 1763. That makes 2013 the County’s 250th birthday, or “Sestercentennial,” and the celebration will go on all year.

Through a proclamation issued at their regular meeting on Jan. 2, 2013, the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners designated 2013 as the Year of the Mecklenburg County Sestercentennial Celebration and recognized the founding of Mecklenburg County on Feb. 26, 1763.

Mecklenburg County and its community partners – including Charlotte Mecklenburg Public Library, Center City Partners, the Chamber of Commerce, and many others – are joining forces to put together the celebration. Historical videos and other original programming will be shown online and on local TV stations, and a special website is being prepared to showcase Sestercentennial Celebration events and activities, which includes a special “birthday party” for Mecklenburg County on February 26, 2013.

We Want To Hear YOUR Story

But the most important part of Mecklenburg’s history is your story. Whether you are a relative newcomer or a seventh-generation “Mecklenburger,” you have a story to tell, and we want to hear it. Do you have pictures? A video? A fond memory of a time in Mecklenburg County? Or, maybe, a recollection of a not-so-joyful time (such as the aftermath of Hurricane Hugo).

Our Mecklenburg Sestercentennial website will be ready soon at www.mecklenburg250.org, so in the meantime post your recollections to our Facebook page or email it to us at mecklenburg250@mecklenburgcountync.gov. Our history isn’t complete without your story.