Biddleville and the Making of a Historic Black Neighborhood

Biddleville takes its name from Biddle Memorial Institute, founded in 1867 and renamed Johnson C. Smith University in 1923. The neighborhood around the school became home to Black families, educators, clergy, and entrepreneurs, and developed institutions of its own.

Segregation and change

Like other Black neighborhoods in Charlotte, Biddleville's history was shaped by segregation, unequal public investment, and later highway building and redevelopment that affected communities across the city. Specific impacts on particular blocks should be researched in city records, oral histories, and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library's collections.

Research starting points

• Johnson C. Smith University's published institutional history and archives.
• Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission survey reports for designated properties.
• The Carolina Room at Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.
• Community-led history projects and congregational histories.