Biddleville (Charlotte neighborhood) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Biddleville
|
|
|---|---|
| Country |  United States |
| State |  North Carolina |
| County | Mecklenburg County |
| City | Charlotte |
| Council District | 2 |
| Founded | 1871 |
| Annexed | 1907 |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| Zip Code |
28208, 28216
|
| Area codes | 704, 980 |
Biddleville is a historic neighborhood in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is known as the oldest surviving neighborhood in Charlotte where most residents are African-American. You can find Biddleville about one mile west of Uptown Charlotte. It is located near Interstate 77 along Beatties Ford Road.
Biddleville is home to Johnson C. Smith University. This university is a historically black college, meaning it was founded to educate African-American students. It started shortly after the American Civil War to train future preachers and teachers. The university was first called the Henry J. Biddle Memorial Institute. In 1876, its name changed to Biddle University. The Biddleville neighborhood grew up around this important school. It was a separate community until the city of Charlotte officially made it part of the city in 1907. This process is called annexation.
Music History
The Biddle University Quintet
In 1908, a special singing group called the Biddle University Quintet was formed. A quintet is a group of five singers. They traveled around to perform and help raise money for the university. They were inspired by the famous Fisk Jubilee Singers, another group from a historically black college.
In 1920, the Biddle University Quintet recorded four spiritual songs for Pathé Records. These recordings helped share their music with more people. Later, in 1938, they became regular performers on the Charlotte WBT radio station. They took over from another well-known group, the Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet.
Another group, the Biddleville Quintette, also recorded many songs between 1926 and 1929 for Paramount Records. It is not clear if these two groups were the same or if they were connected.
Parts of Biddleville
Biddleville is made up of three smaller areas, which are called subdivisions. These areas are:
- Roslyn Heights
- Smallwood
- Western Heights
