Charlotte's First Car

The first automobile came to Charlotte on December 5, 1899.  The Wadsworth brothers, owners of a livery stable in downtown, purchased a gasoline-powered locomobile.  As the vehicle trundled down Tryon Street, the Observer remarked that the auto "struck those who had not seen a horseless carriage before as one of the seven wonders of the world.

It was not until the mid 1920s that the automobile became affordable to the masses.  The patronage of public transportation decreased, and city leaders turned their attention to the construction of roads to handle the growing number of vehicles.