The Liberty Trail

History Along the Trail

Explore the people and stories of the American Revolutionary War in South Carolina through videos, audio, and biographies. Hear tales of bravery, defeat, and treason from historians and travelers. The Liberty trail offers captivating and inspiring narratives from this transformative chapter of American history.

We invite you to visit the preserved locations along the Liberty Trail and to immerse yourself in the extraordinary events that determined the fate of a nation.
Historic Site |
Syracuse, NY
President James Monroe invited the Marquis de Lafayette to visit the United States, his adopted country. Lafayette’s tour of all 24 states in 1824 and 1825 drew large crowds and sparked a renewal of...
Battlefield | Historic House
Sanford, NC

Also known as the Alston House, the House in the Horseshoe served as a Patriot outpost where a four hour skirmish took place on July 29, 1781.

State/County Park |
Suffolk, VA

Located just south of the Chesapeake Bay, this "uninhabitable" Great Dismal Swamp was home to thousands of Native Americans and Maroons--self-emancipated slaves--throughout the 18th and 19th centuries.

Historic Site
Gaffney, SC

James Henderson Williams, a South Carolina militia colonel and Patriot leader, was killed at the Battle of Kings Mountain in 1780 and is commemorated here, where his remains were later reinterred and a memorial erected in his honor.

Historic Site |
West Point, NY

Constitution Island was strategically vital during the Revolutionary War. It anchored the earliest American fortifications in the Hudson Highlands and helped secure Patriot control of the Hudson River.

Battlefield |
New York, NY

At the Battle of Harlem Heights, American forces rallied after earlier defeats and struck back against advancing British troops on northern Manhattan. The clash restored much-needed confidence to the Continental Army and proved the Patriots could stand against Britain’s professional soldiers.

State/County Park | Fort/Outpost
Oswego, NY

Fort Ontario was a staging ground for the British’s 1777 invasion of New York. It served as a base of operations for British, Native, and Loyalist raiding parties targeting upstate New York. In 1782, the British committed a full-time garrison to the fort.

Historic Site |
Boston, MA

A monumental structure built in 1742, Faneuil Hall served as one of the most important sites of civic engagement in colonial Boston. Since, it has hosted the likes of revolutionary leaders and dissidents.

Historic Site | Fort/Outpost
Youngstown, NY

Site of a British command center during the Revolutionary War.

Battlefield | State/County Park
Stony Point, NY

Now a state park in New York, Stony Point once served as British defensive position along the Hudson River during the New York campaign. Thanks to cunning actions of "Mad" Anthony Wayne, British forces were swiftly pushed from their defenses.

Historic Site |
Rensselaer, NY
President James Monroe invited the Marquis de Lafayette to visit the United States, his adopted country. Lafayette’s tour of all 24 states in 1824 and 1825 drew large crowds and sparked a renewal of...
Battlefield
Manning, SC

Now under the man-made Lake Marion, British Lieutenant Colonel John Watson and Patriot Brigadier General Francis Marion, the “Swamp Fox,” skirmished in Wyboo Swamp near Santee Road.