In the mid-1700s, a man named Thomas Shepherd divided 50 acres of his land into 8 streets and 96 lots, establishing the community of Mecklenburg. The town was named for the birthplace of Queen Charlotte, wife of England's King George III. On December 23, 1762, the Virginia General Assembly granted a charter for Mecklenburg. The residents dubbed the community "Shepherd's Town," in tribute to its founder. That title endured and was bestowed upon Shepherd...