Dive into Charlotte's history with a local author

Ashley Mahoney

Smiling woman with long hair holds a copy of "Historic Maps of Charlotte" by Ashley Mahoney; a window with a city view behind. On the right, a large graphic of the same book cover. — "Historic Maps of Charlotte" is Ashley Mahoney's debut book. Photo: Drew Ballesteros/Axios

Charlotte's history encompasses centuries, and that can be a lot for a transplant — or even a native — to navigate.

The latest: I've covered Charlotte since 2014 as a local reporter, and now I've written a love letter in the form of a book about the place I call home.

What to expect: "Historic Maps of Charlotte" combines more than 40 maps, essays, photographs and illustrations to explore Charlotte's history. Here are a few places I learned about during the process:

🎢 Lakewood Park: This was Charlotte's amusement park decades before Carowinds.

🏎️ Charlotte Speedway: Several miles south of today's Charlotte Motor Speedway was a 1920s venue with a wooden racetrack.

🏫 Carver College: It opened in 1949 as a junior college to serve Black veterans.

Yes, and: Some of my favorite chapters focus on subjects I've covered for years, including Charlotte Douglas International Airport, UNC Charlotte and the Excelsior Club.

What's next: You'll find me at Troubadour Booksellers from 8 to 10pm Friday for my launch party, plus at:

Charlotte BookPalooza on Saturday from 11am-4pm.
Park Road Books on Oct. 15 from 6:30-7:30pm.
That's Novel Books on Oct. 23 from 5-7pm.

Go deeper: Independent bookstores in Charlotte — and a few more within driving distance

Editor's note: Ashley Mahoney is a reporter for Axios Charlotte.

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Dive into Charlotte's history with a local author

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