Early Charlotte

Local sports teams were prominent in turn-of-the-century Charlotte.  The Charlotte Hornets baseball team began play in 1901.  Various city leagues saw competition between teams sponsored by local businesses, such as the Nebel Knitting Company women's softball team.

At this time, Charlotte was challenging other Southern cities, among these Richmond and Atlanta, for dominance as the South's premier city.  The "Queen City of the South" moniker emerged to bolster this effort.