Wildcat Highway Markers (US 74) - Charlotte and Wadesboro
When many of the numbered highways we drive on today were being put together over a century ago, they usually had names. The Lincoln Highway, Dixie Highway, and Bankhead Highway, to name a few. In North Carolina, we had the Central Highway - much of today's US 70. However, there were a few others not as well known; fortunately, traces of those efforts remain.
After World War I, the War Mothers of North Carolina, led by Mary F. Jones, pushed for North Carolina's two major east-west highways, the Central Highway (NC 10 now US 70) and the Wilmington-Charlotte-Asheville Highway (NC 20 now US 74), to be named after veterans of the Great War.
The War Mothers of North Carolina placed the stone markers for the Wildcat Division in 1930. Markers were placed in Wilmington, Wadesboro, two markers in Charlotte, Gastonia, and Lake Lure. In Asheville, where the two highways met, a bronze plaque was placed. Today, markers remain in Wadesboro, Lake Lure, and Charlotte.
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| This Wildcat Highway marker can be found at the entrance to Charlotte's Independence Park. (7th Street and Hawthorne Lane) |
After World War I, the War Mothers of North Carolina, led by Mary F. Jones, pushed for North Carolina's two major east-west highways, the Central Highway (NC 10 now US 70) and the Wilmington-Charlotte-Asheville Highway (NC 20 now US 74), to be named after veterans of the Great War.
The Central Highway would be named the "Old Hickory" after the 30th Infantry Division. The 30th was named Old Hickory after President Andrew Jackson and consisted of men from the Carolinas, Georgia, and Tennessee. The Wilmington-Charlotte-Asheville Highway would be named the "Wildcat Highway" in honor of the 81st Infantry Division. Nicknamed the "Wildcat" division and stationed out of Fort Jackson in Columbia, SC.
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| This Wildcat Highway Marker can be found on US 74 in Wadesboro. |
The War Mothers of North Carolina placed the stone markers for the Wildcat Division in 1930. Markers were placed in Wilmington, Wadesboro, two markers in Charlotte, Gastonia, and Lake Lure. In Asheville, where the two highways met, a bronze plaque was placed. Today, markers remain in Wadesboro, Lake Lure, and Charlotte.
All photos taken by the post author unless otherwise noted.
Sources & Links:
- Wildcat Highway Marker, Charlotte ---Commemorative Landscapes of North Carolina
- Wildcat Highway ---Historical Marker Data base
- US 74 @ NCRoads.com Annex ---Mike Roberson
- NC 20 @ NCRoads.com Annex ---Mike Roberson
How To Get There:
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