According to local legend, on May 20, 1775, Mecklenburg County, N.C. became the first political entity to declare themselves free and independent. The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence was signed by elected representatives in the county courthouse, a log building on brick pillars which stood in the middle of the intersection of Trade and Tryon Streets. This declaration preceded the US Declaration of Independence of July 4, 1776 by more than a year. Nearby are two earlier markers to this historic event.