Documenting the American South

Monument Name

Spirit of Mecklenburg, Captain James Jack, Charlotte

Type

Equestrian Statue

Subjects

Colonial History

Revolutionary War, 1775-1783

Creator

Chas Fagan, Charlotte, NC, Sculptor

City

Charlotte

County

Mecklenburg

Description

The Spirit of Mecklenburg is a one and a half-life size, bronze equestrian statue of Captain James Jack. Jack is best known for his ride from Charlotte to the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia to deliver a copy of the Mecklenburg Resolves in 1775. The statue depicts Jack on horseback riding at a gallop. He is wearing a buckskin jacket and tri-hat and riding boots that reach almost to the knees. A powder horn and small pouch hang on his proper right side. The horse’s head is turned to the proper left with Jack leaning forward to the same side as if he is turning the horse.

The sculpture stands in a large central fountain between the Pearl Street Bridge and Morehead Street which serves as centerpiece of the Little Sugar Creek Greenway. The fountain area is about 70-feet wide and flanked by trees all around.

Custodian

City of Charlotte

Dedication Date

May 20, 2010

Decade

2010s

Geographic Coordinates

35.216840 , -80.832650 View in Geobrowse

Series

Trail of History, Charlotte

Supporting Sources

"Captain Jack," Mecklenburg County Government site, charmeck.org, (accessed June 1, 2017) Link

Calvert, Lisa. Captain James Jack: The Paul Revere of the South,” The Carolina’s Equestrian, April/May (2015), 42-43

Faulkner, Ronnie W. 2006. “Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence,” NCPedia.org, (accessed June 1, 2017) Link

Norris, David A. 2006. "Resolves, Prerevolutionary," NCpedia.org, (accessed July 12, 2013) Link

Preyer, Norris W. 2008. “Jack, James,” NCPedia.org, (accessed May 11, 2017) Link

Syfert, Scott. “Second Coming of a Revolutionary War Patriot,” Journal Of The American Revolution, (accessed June 1, 2017) Link

“Captain James Jack: Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence,” Clan JACK Society, (accessed June 1, 2017) Link

“Sculptures,” Chas Fagan Fine Art, (accessed June 1, 2017) Link

“Spirit of Mecklenburg Statue,” The May 20th Society, (accessed May 20, 2017) Link

Public Site

Yes

Materials & Techniques

Bronze

Sponsors

May 20th Society

Monument Cost

$400,000 to $500,000

Subject Notes

When news arrived of the outbreak of fighting at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts, the Mecklenburg Resolves of May 1775 were drawn up declaring British laws and authority to be null and void. James Jack was dispatched to carry the Resolves to the Continental Congress. On reaching Philadelphia he found that the North Carolina delegates, still hoping for reconciliation with England, considered the action premature. No evidence exists that they took action to present the resolves to delegates from the other colonies. Chas Fagan, who sculpted the statue, is a self-taught artist who grew up in Brussels, Belgium. His other works include the official statue of Ronald Reagan in the United States Capitol Rotunda as well as the official White House portrait of Barbara Bush. He is also known for painting oil portraits of all 45 United States presidents and the official portrait of Mother Teresa for her sainthood ceremony.

Location

The sculpture is located on the campus of Central Piedmont Community College near downtown Charlotte, NC. It is part of the Little Sugar Creek Greenway and stands close to the Pearl Street Bridge at Morehead Street.

Landscape

The greenway is lined with trees, shrubbery, flowering plants and places for seating as it winds four miles along a small stream.