Ballantyne Magazine covers news, events, real estate, restaurants, shopping, health, schools and business in the upscale Ballantyne Area of Charlotte, NC.
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Slaves Attended Services The tall, airy upstairs gallery/ side balcony flanked each side and was designed to accommodate slaves, who made up about a third of the church membership at that time. Previously, the "colored members," as they were referred to in church records, sat in loft ceilings that were too low to allow them to stand. They entered by climbing up outside ladders and going in a window. The sanctuary still required slaves to enter through separate entrances, but once inside, they could stand comfortably. The columns holding up the galleries are made of multiple boards with beveled edges glued together. The interior walls, shiplap paneled, were whitewashed. There is a board- and-batten ceiling and pine floors. Light floods through 18-foot, triple-hung windows; many of the windowpanes are original wavy blown-glass panes. The windows are protected by large exterior shutters, most of them original. With cross ventilation and high ceilings, the sanctuary was cool — or cooler — before the advent of air conditioning. "When it was really hot, we would open the windows from the bottom and let the windows down from the top," recalls Lee Rea, an 82-year-old church member who was born and still lives on a section of the Rea family farm on Rea Road. "Everyone had a little funeral fan to try to catch a breeze. In the fall, the wasps would come in to hibernate. Sometimes the preacher would get to preaching and a wasp would start buzzing around and land and sting him. That would test your faith!" The size of the building exceeded the number of members so pews were built and installed on an as-needed basis. All the downstairs pews are original; each one from a single pine board, hand-planed and fit into the wall and braced by a center division. Carpeting was added in 1912 by insistence of the women members who didn't like the cold drafts coming through the openings in the floor boards. The women paid for the carpet by holding bake sales. Prominent Charlotte Names The church's location dovetails with many events in colonial history and counts among its founders and early members, several old family names in Charlotte. The earliest grave in the cemetery is John McKee's (of the McKee family for whom the nearby road is named) in 1764, three years before Providence Presbyterian was established. It includes more than 2,000 plots, of which 1,087 are occupied, some with Revolutionary War soldier and slave remains. A joint Providence Presbyterian and Mecklenburg County project in 2004 helped identify and recognize the slaves' section. "Don't say anything to anyone about anyone else," McCanless jokes. "They could be related!" The congregation includes descendants of the David Rea family, which donated the land for the church. "My fourth great grandfather, At Carolina Dental Arts we are committed to serving our patients with consideration and understanding in a warm relaxing environment. Our goal is to provide healthy beautiful smiles and convenient appointment times to fit your schedule. • Complete Dentistry for Adults & Children • Tooth colored fillings • Teeth whitening • Digital xrays (less radiation) • Crowns & Bridges • Complete & Partial Dentures • Extractions / Wisdom Teeth 704.369.5200 Call today to reserve a New Patient appointment! We accept most insurance plans Carolina Dental Arts of Ballantyne Village Roth & Cox, DDS, PA 14825 Ballantyne Village Way • Suite 280 • Charlotte NC 28277 • www.carolinadentalarts.com FALL 2010 CELEBRATING TEN YEARS 2000-2010 BALLANTYNE MAGAZINE 37