The Beavers hit the road today to explore a couple of parks in the eastern part of the Upstate. First up was a place whose sign I’ve driven by hundreds of times over the past 15-20 years as I’ve gone back and forth between the Midlands and the Upstate. Located just off of I-26 near Clinton is the site of an important Revolutionary War battle–the Battle of Musgrove Mill.
The park itself is in two parts. The first (and the only one we visited) is the site of the homestead of the Musgrove family on the Enoree River. The British were encamped here in 1780. The trail that we took had some interpretive signage that talked about the history of the place, including the old mill that was located on the river.
The other side of the river (that you have to drive to) has the site of the actual battle and a trail that goes around it, along with a small waterfall called Horseshoe Falls. We saved this for another visit.
We learned about the battle in the Visitor Center, which has a nice display of period uniforms and weaponry (which the ranger let Teagan hold). There are some artifacts found there (from the battle, the homestead, and earlier Native Americans). There are also other exhibits to help you learn. Outside of the VC are the crumbled remains of the original Musgrove home site.
The gist of the battle is that the British/Loyalists were encamped there, and a smaller number of Patriot soldiers came and surprisingly won. The Patriots had been defeated over in Camden just three days prior, so this helped to encourage the Patriot soldiers as they fought in what was then known as the South Carolina Backcountry (as most all development had been in the Charleston area).
This park also manages the site of the Blackstocks Battlefield several miles away, another Revolutionary War site from three months after Musgrove Mill (and another Patriot victory, this one involving Thomas Sumter, the ‘Fighting Gamecock’), though there are no facilities or interpretation there at this point.
After spending some time learning in the VC (well, Sage just ran around with stuffed birds they had in the shop), we walked the trail, saw the river, and played the obligatory hide and seek with the girls as they hid behind trees. Along the way, Teagan was eagerly looking in the mud for tracks. The ranger and the other lady in the VC had mentioned bobcats, so she was looking everywhere for them. She thought she saw some, but they were just dog tracks. We did see raccoon and deer tracks, though.
This was an interesting site to come to, and I would love to return to see the battle site itself. Click below for some more pics from our visit! We then hit the road farther north to Croft State Park. Click here for the next entry!
Beavers in the Park 