The story of firefighting in charlotte is a tale of explosive growth and change that dates back to its humble beginnings in 1887 the city of charlotte credits expansion to several events including the gold rush of the 1830s the railroad expansion of the 1860s and the textile boom of the 1880s. Firefighting in charlotte book read reviews from worlds largest community for readers the story of firefighting in charlotte is a tale of explosive gr. The story of firefighting in charlotte is a tale of explosive growth and change that dates back to its humble beginnings in 1887 the city of charlotte credits expansion to several events including the gold rush of the 1830s the railroad expansion of the 1860s and the textile boom of the 1880s. The story of firefighting in charlotte is a tale of explosive growth and change that dates back to its humble beginnings in 1887 during the textile boom of the 1880s the volunteer firefighters who were protecting charlotte and mecklenburg county could no longer adequately protect the growing city thus the charlotte