Celebrate at Sycamore Shoals State Historic Area, Elizabethton, Tennessee, as they re-live the muster of the Overmountain Men, which occurred at Sycamore Shoals over 200 years ago.
September 25–26, 2021 @ Sycamore Shoals State Historic Area
ELIZABETHTON, Tenn,.- The year was 1780, and the tide of the American Revolution was turning against the patriot cause. The British, forced out of New England, gained new allies in the divided South, and won victory after victory in a bloody civil war. Charleston had fallen to the British, American forces had crumbled at the battle of Camden, and things were looking very bleak for the cause of independence. Then the impossible occurred. Frontiersmen west of the Blue Ridge Mountains began a long march, gathering an army along the way from the highlands of Virginia to the hills of South Carolina. At a place called King’s Mountain, they destroyed British forces and opened the way for the final American victory at Yorktown.
The route they took from Virginia to South Carolina is now known as the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail. Celebrate at Sycamore Shoals State Historic Area, Elizabethton, Tennessee, as they re-live the muster of the Overmountain Men, which occurred at Sycamore Shoals over 200 years ago.
Visit Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park Sept. 25 & 26 for the Overmountain Victory Trail Celebration and Militia Muster. This weekend will be full of events centering around the story of the Overmountain Men and their historic gathering at Sycamore Shoals.
> From 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. each day the Overmountain Victory Trail Association and the Washington County, North Carolina, Militia will present 18th century demonstrations and activities in and around Fort Watauga. Discover the vital role Sycamore Shoals played in the early frontier community, and how its significance would impact the nation’s history. Re-enactors in period clothing will be on hand throughout the weekend to share stories and demonstrations of that exciting and tumultuous time.
> At 1 p.m., Sept. 25 the Overmountain Victory Trail Association recreates the historic 1780 river crossing when Colonel William Campbell and 400 mounted militiamen from present day Abingdon, Virginia, crossed the Watauga River at Sycamore Shoals to join Colonels Isaac Shelby and John Sevier in response to a threat from British Major Patrick Ferguson.
> Living history programming continues Sept. 26 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with more presentations and demonstrations by the Washington County, North Carolina, Militia at Fort Watauga.
> While enjoying the activities of the weekend, visit the award-winning museum and interpretive center, and watch the park’s interpretive film “Sycamore Shoals – Story of the American Spirit”
> Most events are free of charge. For more information about this and other events contact the park at (423) 543-5808 or visit https://www.tnstateparks.com/parks/sycamore-shoals.
Category: Festival
