The Liberty Trail History Makers

At dawn on April 19, 1775, an unknown shot shattered the silence in Lexington. British Redcoats and colonial militia clashed, leaving blood on the field. In Concord, the patriots struck back, and as the British retreated, gunfire hounded them to Boston, thus sparking the American Revolution

Nassau Hall, once the largest stone building in the colonies, housed the College of New Jersey, now known as Princeton. During the Battle of Princeton in 1777, British troops fortified the building as a last stand defense.

At the Battle of Stone Arabia, Patriot militia under John Brown made a desperate stand against a swift raid led by Sir John Johnson. Though Brown was killed and the raiders escaped, the clash galvanized local resistance.

The site of the 1775 Battle of Williamson's Fort and a critical outpost for the British after they captured Charleston in 1780, the colonial town of Ninety Six was also the setting of a 28-day siege in 1781. Here, Nathanael Greene’s Patriots attacked the heart of Loyalist commander John Cruger’s defenses — the Star Fort.

This home, now known as the "John Quincy Adams Birthplace," was John and Abigail Adams' residence during the Revolutionary War. While John served as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia, Abigail managed this home and served as an advisor to her husband in his public role.

This park features the Lands Ford crossing, used during the Revolutionary War by both British and American troops under Cornwallis and Sumter before and after pivotal battles.

An ingenious Patriot deception provokes a prominent Loyalist to surrender his outpost

The Fraunces Tavern Museum is Manhattan’s oldest building and the site of meetings of the Sons of Liberty.

Located in the Pee Dee region of South Carolina, it was here that Francis Marion signed a treaty with a local Loyalist militia leader, effectively ending hostilities in the area

Home of Brigadier General Nicholas Herkimer, who died of wounds at the Battle of Oriskany, one of the bloodiest of the war.

The Battles of Saratoga marked a decisive turning point in the American Revolution, where Patriot forces achieved a stunning victory over a major British army. This triumph not only shattered British momentum but convinced France that the American cause was worth backing, transforming a colonial rebellion into an international war.

Old Santee Canal Park hosts the Berkeley County Museum and Fort Fair Lawn, where in 1780, the British attacked the Patriot army stationed at Monck’s Corner.