Does anybody know what used to be where the BYT's sit today? Curious to know what the railroad track area was used for.

A little info for you. The poo tracks are an old drying bed from the 1920's or earlier. Thanks Josh,Brian,Doug,Scott and Lee for opening that up. If you look as you get near them you will pass 2 old mining carts that were brought down from Asheville. They were pulled around by mules/donkeys back in the day. You pass a large wheel the was attached to a piece of farm equiptment that also is still onsite that used to spread the poo. Thats why so much undergrowth and posion ivy. If you walk around you can find old barbed wire for the pastures that were once there. You can also tell that is some places that the land is terraced I guess for farming and little road beds all over. Most of the property was farmland. there were also 2 houses in the field across the service road where the plant managers lived. The plant has pictures from way back then and all you can see is farm fields across the creek. Now the MD side was owned by 1 family and you can still see the stairs for the house that used to be near the enterance. That is how it got its name. Now Kit can give you the low down on PRP. He used to live in the last house behind the baseball fields. You have to remember that this plant was outside city limits back then. They also used to bring cotton barges up the creek from the Cataba River through Ann Springs to North Charlotte for industry. That is why the creek is so wide and straight. I am not sure but one branch of the creek used to go to the Mint Museum for what I dont know. The creeks come together right before Tyvola rd bridge. I was also told that when said barges would pass the plant that there were a couple of baskets with rags drenched in perfume to keep the smell down when you passed by on the barges. Hope that helps with your poo history.

As Scott mentioned I grew up in that last house on Archdale that backs up to PRP during the 60's.  My Grandfather had a farm that went from the old Park Rd Extension (now Park South Dr) down to Sugar creek, and from about where the golf course used to be up to the creek in PRP that runs parallel to Archdale.  This was purchased some time in the 30's. Old Reid road was originally put in, as a dirt road, to get from his house on Park Rd. to our house. He sold it off slowly until when he passed in 1982, he had 11 acres left between new Park Rd and Park South Dr.  This is now the neighborhood named Johnston Hall, named for him, Hall Johnston.  Right where the softball fields are in PRP used to be an equestrian farm, and the rest of PRP was a wooded playground for the kids that lived near there. The original Tyvola Rd is the service road that runs from PRP through the plant, and comes out directly across from MD center entrance.   

my 2 cents towards the area history.

I grew up  on Parkstone Dr. in the '60s and 'early '70s and roamed all over Kits family farm.  Sure was a lot of Hippies back then in them future park woods.  Whats weird,is, some of the BYT trails were there and I didn't even know it.  I remember riding to Zayres on the old Tyvola (no cars).  We used to find horse shoes in my yard on Parkstone.  The new trails in PRP, which BTW, are looking SWEET, are bringing back lots of memories.

I remember those old jumps behind the church. I don't remember Fairview stopping at Sharon Rd, though. Must have been I. the early 70's. Phillips place got built in the late 80's. I can't believe that Burger King is still there on the corner! And the old  Blackhawk hardware was next to the Eckerd's and the barbershop. Played video games at the old 7 eleven. And Sears had a pretty nice arcade at the time, too.

KitJ BBQman wrote on 09/25/13 at 2:25pm:

I worked at Baucum's Nursery, too!  Was about 83 or 84 in the summer.  Man, I hated unloading that damn trailer full of bushes!

I hear jonboy is buried in dem woods.

The house I grew up in is the 2nd house from the right, 4 rows of houses up from the zoom bar, Chandworth Rd. right where Rhodes Ave T's into it.


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I graduated HS in 87 and moved out in 91.  I was the idiot racing around the neighborhood in the red Escort GT. PRTYAMNL.

KitJ BBQman wrote on 09/26/13 at 12:50pm:


The Cycle Path wrote on 09/26/13 at 1:01pm:

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