Waxhaw lands

The Waxhaw lands are a region on both sides of the border between what now is North Carolina and South Carolina, United States. It encompasses the areas currently known as Lancaster, Union and Mecklenburg counties. The name comes from that of the Indigenous people who first inhabited the landbase, the Waxhaw people.

History

The region was named for its first inhabitants, the Waxhaw people. The Waxhaw tribe had been almost annihilated by Eurasian infectious diseases following their first European contacts. Those who remained were killed or dispersed during the Yamasee War of 1715.

Around the year 1740, Irish, Scots-Irish, and German immigrants began to move into The Waxhaws region and to establish farms. What is now the Old Waxhaw Presbyterian Church was built in 1752.

During the American Revolution, under the command of militia Colonel William Davie the settlers in The Waxhaws fiercely resisted the British. In 1781, the British forces of General Cornwallis briefly occupied the town of Charlotte, already the largest town in the region, but his garrison was soon driven out by the local militia. Cornwallis later wrote that Charlotte was "a hornet's nest of rebellion", and Charlotte still is nicknamed, "The Hornet's Nest".

The seventh president of the United States, Andrew Jackson, was born and raised in The Waxhaws region. At the time of his birth, a border between the Carolinas did not exist. The exact site of his birth is uncertain. Later in life, perhaps for political reasons, Jackson claimed he was born on the South Carolina side of the new border, however, a midwife reportedly birthed Jackson in a cabin north of the border.

Other websites

• Museum of The Waxhaws and Andrew Jackson Memorial