Andrew Jackson Birthplace, Waxhaw
The Andrew Jackson birthplace monument marks the location of the George McCamie cabin, which was one of the two likely locations for Jackson's birth (see Subject Notes). The monument base is eight square feet and two feet high built from rough boulders taken from the chimney foundation of the McCamie cabin (no longer standing). A small marble plaque is set into the base with the dedication inscription and Daughters of the American Revolution symbol. Above this is a single rough-hewn granite slab on which stands a second rough-hewn granite slab four feet high and two feet thick. This upright slab holds the primary inscription above which a depiction of the McCamie cabin has been carved in relief. It has been vandalized at some point with attempts made to chisel out “Andrew Jackson” and “Here.” The monument stands at the dead-end of an infrequently traveled road which one has to drive into South Carolina to reach.
Old photos show an iron fence that is no longer present. A gravel walk leads to the marker and a bench sits to the markers left. This marker replaced a temporary one made of iron placed by the Mecklenburg Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1905.
Images:
Far-off view
Inscription: HERE WAS BORN / MARCH 15, 1767 / ANDREW JACKSON / SEVENTH PRESIDENT OF / THE UNITED STATES. Dedication plaque in base: ERECTED BY / THE N.C. DAUGHTERS / OF THE / AMERICAN REVOLUTION / 1910
April 12, 1911
34.865650 , -80.787370
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Howard, Jeffrey Allen. “Andrew Jackson Birthplace,” NCPedia.org, (accessed January 16, 2017) Link
“Andrew Jackson Birthplace - Waxhaws Region, South And North Carolina,” PresidentsUSA.net, (accessed January 16, 2017) Link
“Andrew Jackson’s Birthplace,” Museum of the Waxhaws, www.museumofthewaxhaws.org, (accessed January 16, 2017) Link
“Birth Place Marked,” The Concord Daily Tribune (Concord, NC), November 23, 1905
“Historical Activities,” News and Observer (Raleigh, NC), February 5, 1911
“Historically Hopeless,” The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, NC), December 19, 1910
“Jackson Monument Unveiled At Waxhaw,” The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, NC), April 15, 1911
“Marker Removed,” The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, NC), November 1, 1911
“Ought to Be Court-Martialed,” Oxford Public Ledger (Oxford, NC), November 10, 1911
“President Jackson Born Here, Maybe,” RoadsideAmerica.com, (accessed January 16, 2017) Link
“That ‘Marker’ Causing Trouble,” The Charlotte News (Charlotte, NC), September 20, 1905
Yes
Granite, marble, field stones and masonry
Many participants traveled to Waxhaw by train and then carriage to the site six miles outside of town. An address on Jackson was given by Mr. J.L. Rodman of Waxhaw who had donated the land where the marker stands. The memorial was then unveiled by young children before Rodman introduced Mr. E.R. Preston of Charlotte who was orator for the day. The party at this point returned to town where Preston’s speech was given at the school house. Mrs. John Van Landingham, state regent of the Daughters of the American Revolution, also gave an address which provided “evidence” for Jackson’s birth in North Carolina. She said “with firm conviction of the accuracy of this spot, [the D.A.R.] have placed this boulder to mark the birth place of Andrew Jackson…”
The inscription on the memorial is dated 1910 and an article from The Charlotte Observer mentions a scheduled December dedication. Then in February 1911 the Raleigh News and Observer describes the
memorial as already in place and having a bronze plaque showing the cabin and inscription and another plaque no longer extant that read “These stones were part of the original house.” Yet a full page article in The Charlotte Observer describes the dedication not taking place until April 12, 1911. Some sources indicate the Daughters of the American Revolution ran into difficulty completing the monument and that the North Carolina Historical Society stepped in to complete the memorial.
[Additional information from NCpedia editors at the State Library of North Carolina: This person enslaved and owned other people. Many Black and African people, their descendants, and some others were enslaved in the United States until the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery in 1865. It was common for wealthy landowners, entrepreneurs, politicians, institutions, and others to enslave people and use enslaved labor during this period. To read more about the enslavement and transportation of African people to North Carolina, visit https://aahc.nc.gov/programs/africa-carolina-0. To read more about slavery and its history in North Carolina, visit https://www.ncpedia.org/slavery. - Government and Heritage Library, 2023.]
The debate over Andrew Jackson’s exact birthplace is ongoing. The two most likely locations are Crawford Plantation, located in Lancaster County, South Carolina, and the George McCamie cabin where this marker is placed. Both sites are located only a few miles from each other and at the time of Jackson’s birth the state line had yet to be drawn. Jackson himself claimed to have been born in South Carolina, but made these statements during his presidency at a time South Carolina was in a bitter dispute with the federal government. It is possible that Jackson may have been trying to show an affinity for South Carolina to ease difficulties with the state. There is a strong oral tradition for claims that Jackson was born in North Carolina. Most often
noted is the testimony of Mrs. Sarah Lathen, whose mother was a midwife at Jackson’s birth. She claims that the birth took place at the McCamie cabin in North Carolina.
There are no directional signs for the North Carolina marker. South Carolina though has placed a big sign at what should be the turnoff pointing away from it, and toward their state park further south. Another interesting tidbit is that a few months after the marker was placed it was stolen and set up across the state line in South Carolina. One of the accused (although possibly “tongue in cheek”) was Major J.C. Hemphill who had just been made editor of The Charlotte Observer. It was felt this was a way for Hemphill, a South Carolina native, to not have to defend the North Carolina claim to Jackson’s birthplace in his newspaper.
The marker can be found on a cul de sac at the end of Andrew Jackson Road which is about one mile down E. Rebound Road near Waxhaw, NC. E. Rebound Road is about 3.5 miles south of Hwy 521's intersection with Hwy 75.
The marker is surrounded by mature forest on all sides.
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