Hermitage Court Collection, 1912-2006
Content Description
This collection contains materials relating to the Hermitage Court housing development located in the Myers Park neighborhood. Collection materials are arranged into 3 series:
Series 1, History, 1912-2000, includes articles on the new development, Mary Kratt's book, "Legacy: The Myers Park Story," a general chronology, and documents on Hermitage Court's designation as a historic district.
Series 2: Neighborhood Profile, c1918-c1995, contains information on residents through census data, vital records, community newsletters, and other miscellaneous materials.
Series 3: Publications, 1913-2006, includes newspaper clippings, a memoir, and unknown transcript and interview.
Dates
- 1912 - 2006
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open to the public without restriction. The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material.
Conditions Governing Use
Permission to duplicate or publish material from this collection must be obtained from the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.
Biographical / Historical
Hermitage Court, now a historic district, was built in 1912 by The Simmons Company as an “intensified inter-development” of the Myers Park neighborhood. The property was purchased from Mr. E.A. Smith in Myers Park by Mr. Floyd M. Simmons, president of The Simmons Company. Hermitage Court runs east to west, and is situated within present day (2021) Queens Road, Dartmouth Place, Hermitage Road, Providence Road, and Moravian Lane.
The original tract consisted of “[ten] 34-100 acres lying on the crest of the ridge in the midst of the Stephens Company’s development of Myers Park.” The earliest plans for Hermitage Court, according to The Charlotte Observer, included 16 large lots, with 8 on either side of the paved road running through the development. The prices for each lot ranged from $4,000- $4,500 in 1912.
Its name pays tribute to the home place of Andrew “Old Hickory” Jackson, the 7th President of the United States. The style of architecture of the gate to President Jackson’s home was reproduced as closely as possible as the gate entrance to Hermitage Court. The gates were built by two Scotchmen who lived in Aberdeen, Scotland.
The Simmons Company boasted that Hermitage Court “added a charm unparalleled in any of the Queen City’s suburbs.” The development’s location was attractive to many buyers due to its proximity to conveniences such as “street car service, waiting station, water, gas, sewers, paved streets, cement sidewalks, ornamental electric lights, [and] massive stone gateways at the two entrances.” The Simmons Company advertisements in The Charlotte Observer frequently described Hermitage Court as the “ideal homeland” because of all of the amenities it offered to those who lived there.
Extent
0.41 Linear Feet
0.35 Cubic Feet
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
Collection materials are arranged into 3 series:
Series 1, History, 1912-2000, includes articles on the new development, Mary Kratt's book, "Legacy: The Myers Park Story," a general chronology, and documents on Hermitage Court's designation as a historic district.
Series 2: Neighborhood Profile, c1918-c1995, contains information on residents through census data, vital records, community newsletters, and other miscellaneous materials.
Series 3: Publications, 1913-2006, includes newspaper clippings, a memoir, and unknown transcript and interview.
Materials were largely kept in the original order in which we received them.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This collection was donated to the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room by Dannye Powell, 2014.
Bibliography
"Advertisement." Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, North Carolina), May 5, 1912: 3. NewsBank: America's News – Historical and Current. https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AMNEWS&docref=image/v2%3A11260DC9BB798E30%40EANX-NB-113AC7E2B0F591C0%402419528-113AC7E2F05A5778%402-113AC7E4E0528D28%40Advertisement.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission. “F.M. Simmons House.” August 2020. Accessed June 2021. http://landmarkscommission.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Simmons-House-Designation-Report.pdf
Charlotte Mecklenburg Planning Department. Hermitage Historic District Map. July 2017. Accessed June 2021. http://ww.charmeck.org/Planning/HDC/Maps/Hermitage.pdf
"Hermitage Court. New Development of the Simmons Company in Myers Park." Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, North Carolina), February 28, 1912: 6. NewsBank: America's News – Historical and Current. https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AMNEWS&docref=image/v2%3A11260DC9BB798E30%40EANX-NB-113F99D7AA2379C0%402419461-113F99D8B4DCFD50%405-113F99DC4C6CD110%40Hermitage%2BCourt.%2BNew%2BDevelopment%2Bof%2Bthe%2BSimmons%2BCompany%2Bin%2BMyers%2BPark.
"Hermitage Court. Newest Suburb, Small and Exclusive, Now on Market." Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, North Carolina), October 10, 1912: 5. NewsBank: America's News – Historical and Current. https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AMNEWS&docref=image/v2%3A11260DC9BB798E30%40EANX-NB-113ACA078F6CC2D0%402419686-113ACA07DBB6C9A0%404-113ACA09818392C0%40Hermitage%2BCourt.%2BNewest%2BSuburb%252C%2BSmall%2Band%2BExclusive%252C%2BNow%2Bon%2BMarket.
"Laymen's Movement Convention at Durham by F. A. Robinson." Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, North Carolina), November 3, 1912: 9. NewsBank: America's News – Historical and Current. https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AMNEWS&docref=image/v2%3A11260DC9BB798E30%40EANX-NB-113ACA5DAA8EC680%402419710-113ACA5E36F2A298%408-113ACA60F4DA1EF0%40Laymen%2527s%2BMovement%2BConvention%2Bat%2BDurham%2Bby%2BF.%2BA.%2BRobinson.
Condition Description
Materials are in good condition
- Hermitage Court Subject Source: Local sources
- Historic districts Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Myers Park neighborhood Subject Source: Local sources
- Neighborhoods Subject Source: Local sources
- Newsletters Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Newspaper clippings Subject Source: Local sources
- Powell, Dannye Romine (Donor)
- Publications Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Title
- Hermitage Court Collection, 1912-2006
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Sydney Carroll
- Date
- 2021-06-29
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Repository
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library-Main
310 N. Tryon Street
Charlotte NC 28202 USA
carolinaroom@cmlibrary.org
