After a quick drive from nearby Cowpens National Battlefield, the Beavers + Caubles arrived at Kings Mountain.
Quick history: Kings Mountain marks the end of the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail. In 1780, Patriot fighters from the inland backcountry as far away as Virginia and Tennessee headed south through North Carolina (‘over the mountains’) in pursuit of the British Major Ferguson and his Loyalist militia. They caught up with him at Kings Mountain, and the Patriot militia ultimately won the battle, killing Ferguson in the process. This helped solidify the Patriots’ chances in the south. An inscription on the monument at the top of the mountain reads, ‘Here the tide of battle turned in favor of the American Colonies.’ The victory at Cowpens just a few months later helped the cause even more so.
We got there and watched the park video first, which helped our understanding of the history a little more. Then, as Teagan and Sage finished up their Junior Ranger books, we wandered through the interesting museum, which is designed to mimic you walking through trees as the soldiers would have done. In this, there is a nice collection of artifacts and information about the battle and period. Sage and Teagan said their Junior Ranger pledge and got their badges (but not before the ranger inspected each activity they did for accuracy…he wasn’t going to just willy-nilly hand over the loot!).
After this, we headed out to the battlefield loop. There are a lot of ups and downs as you make your way around and up the mountain. Along the way are some interpretive signs, as well as some memorials noting where certain people died or were buried. The British officer Ferguson is buried along the path, and it was interesting to note that the grave marker was actually given by the US in 1930 ‘in token of [our] appreciation of the bonds of friendship and peace between [us] and the citizens of the British empire’.
We got to the top with some minor complaining by the littles, but we enjoyed a nice view from the top, where there are a couple of memorials there. This whole time, Teagan was walking with a walking stick, frequently using it as a gun. Kimberly got a nice collection of pictures with her pretending to be a soldier.
We didn’t have time for much hide and seek here, though, as the day was quickly slipping away, and we still had one more stop to go on our tour for the day. So, we headed back to the car and drove right down the street to Kings Mountain State Park. It was an informative visit in a beautiful spot, and I’m glad to have gotten the chance to experience this bit of history where it occurred. Check out more pictures by clicking below. Last four shots courtesy of Kimberly!
Beavers in the Park 