Historic Rosedale Plantation

Historic Rosedale was originally part of a 911 acre plantation. It was run by about 20 slaves in the 1830s and is one of the finest examples of Federal period architecture in North Carolina that you can visit with your car rental Charlotte.

Plantation beginnings

Rosedale was built in 1815 by Archibald Frew, a merchant, postmaster, and tax collector in the area. Construction began at Rosedale in 1815 on the land at Sugar Creek, and no expense was spared. Archibald died in 1823, and was occupied by the Caldwells in the 1830s. The father was a doctor and made his income from his practice. The plantation was a subsistence plantation, although it was the largest in the county at the time. Cotton was raised and sold locally.

The slave community

When you visit with your car rental Charlotte, you will learn that about 20 slaves lived and worked on the Caldwell Plantation during its operation. There were at least two slave families here, and worked as drivers cooks, blacksmith, and nurse. With the death of Dr. Caldwell, his second wife went to South Carolina with the slaves, who were emancipated. Several of the former slaves took the Caldwell name and returned to Sugar Creek later. There is so much history in this place.

Take a tour

When you visit with your car rental Charlotte, you can take a tour with trained docents Thursday through Sunday at 1:30 and 3:00. The Historic Rosedale Plantation Tour lasts 1.5 hours and examines the architecture, history, and life on the plantation. It will also explain life in Mecklenburg County at the time. You will learn about the black and white families that lined here. This tour is $5 for adults and $4 for children and seniors. Special tours can also be arranged for groups of 20 or more.

Tours for kids

There is also a tour of what it was like for kids to live on a plantation in North Carolina in the 19th century. Dr. Caldwell and his wife had eight children when they lined here. For this tour. You can learn about medicine, education, and daily chores on a plantation. You can see the lessons that the tutor would have taught the children in education and manners. Group reservations are required for this tour and it is designed for kids 8 and up.

Do you hear that?

The unheard voices of the plantations in the South were those of the African slaves that lived here and were seldom educated. The plantation owners left many documents behind, but this tour is designed to go beyond that and examine the personal and work life of the 20 slaves that lived here. This tour tells the story of Ben, the carriage driver, Jenny, the cook, Cherry, the children’s nurse, and Nat, the blacksmith.

Exploring the gardens

There are gardens that you can explore when you visit Rosedale with your car rental Charlotte. Little is known about how they came about, but it changed when the style of gardens changed in the mid-19th century. There are also several outbuildings at Rosedale that were present when the plantation existed. There was an ice house, cotton house, log barn, corn crib, and wash house among others.

Plan your visit

When you come with your car rental Charlotte, you will find Historic Rosedale Plantation on North Tryon Street in Uptown Charlotte. There is free parking for your car rental Charlotte.

Historic Rosedale Plantation is an interesting place to visit with your car rental Charlotte because it will show you what life was like on a small plantation in the 19th century in the south.