The Liberty Trail History Makers

Following the Revolutionary War, Lafayette accepted an invitation from George Washington and returned to America. The Marquis de Lafayette departed France in mid-June 1784 and arrived in New York City...

On May 29, 1780, British commander Banastre Tarleton engaged and overwhelmed a Patriot force under the command of Abraham Buford in a dreadful defeat for the Patriots.

Middleton Place is America’s Oldest Landscaped Gardens and home to a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

At the Battle of Pell’s Point, a small American force under John Glover held firm against a powerful British advance. Their stand proved pivotal in shaping the course of the New York campaign.

After the Siege of Charleston in 1780, the British established a headquarters at the Kershaw/Cornwallis House. Today the house and grounds are open to tours.

On August 6, 1777, British forces under the command of Sir John Johnson engaged American forces under Nicholas Herkimer in the Battle of Oriskany, resulting in one of the few battles of the war where all the participants were North American.

After an eight-day siege, this strategic outpost fell to the Americans, who used an ingenious structure called Maham’s Tower to fire down into the fort and trap the enemy.

At the Battle of Newtown, American forces under John Sullivan crushed Loyalist and Haudenosaunee Confederacy resistance in a decisive campaign of destruction. The victory shattered organized opposition in the region, paving the way for the systematic devastation of Indigenous towns that reshaped the frontier during the war.

Known by several names over the past two centuries, it is now known as the Wright Tavern, named after its owner during the Battle of Lexington and Concord, Amos Wright.

When Jane Black Thomas overheard Loyalists plotting a surprise attack on her son's militia camp, she rode nearly 60 miles through dangerous territory to warn him. Her daring ride gave Colonel John Thomas Jr. and his Spartan Regiment time to prepare an ambush that repelled the attackers — fueling Patriot momentum toward the war-changing Battle of King's Mountain just three months later.

Built in 1792 by Revolutionary War officer William Lenoir, Fort Defiance preserves the homestead that rose near the site of an earlier frontier fort and reflects the legacy of one family for nearly two centuries.

Located an hour away from Charlotte, the Ramsour's Mill battleground marks the site of the first Patriot victory in the south following the fall of Charleston.