President Woodrow Wilson came to Charlotte on May 20, 1916 in celebration of Mecklenburg Independence Day. On this warm day, a parade was held in honor of the President and a several speeches were given. After a long-winded opening by Mayor T.L. Kirkpatrick, President Wilson spoke briefly to the large crowd of Charlotteans. Later in the day, President Wilson visited Davidson College where he was briefly enrolled in 1873. Wilson stopped by his old dormitory room where he startled the student living there so badly, he allegedly jumped out of the window upon realizing the Commander-in-Chief was knocking on his door.
