About

Our Valued Partners in South Carolina

The Liberty Trail preserves and interprets South Carolina’s historic battlefields, keeping their stories alive. To protect these unspoiled sites, the American Battlefield Trust partners with numerous valued partners at the federal, state and local levels.

Explore South Carolina's Revolutionary History

Many historians consider the Revolutionary War to have been decided in the swamps, fields, woods and mountains of the South, won by the resilience and determination of Continental soldiers and Patriot militia. Although the full story of the Southern Campaigns is not widely known, the events of 1775-1782 in the Carolinas and Georgia directly led to an American victory in the war. 

The Liberty Trail is a unified path of preservation and interpretation across South Carolina designed to tell this remarkable story. These important battlefields, still largely unspoiled, deserve to be preserved and remembered. That’s why the American Battlefield Trust has partnered with the South Carolina Battleground Preservation Trust to accomplish these goals.

Each stop along the driving tour features unique on-site interpretation that connects visitors to the extraordinary events that came to pass nearly 250 years ago.

Our Valued Partners

South Carolina Battleground Preservation Trust

The South Carolina Battleground Trust

The South Carolina Battleground Preservation Trust is a 501(c)(3) not-for profit corporation established in 1991 and dedicated to the preservation of South Carolina’s historic battlegrounds and military sites. Working with property owners, developers, and local/state agencies, the South Carolina Battleground Preservation Trust has successfully preserved historic properties throughout South Carolina. The organization preserves South Carolina's military heritage employing a variety of tools from conservation easements and land acquisitions to high-tech ground-based laser scanning surveys and public interpretation with the goal of ensuring the state’s military heritage sites are not forgotten and there to study, discuss and reflect upon for future generations.

The South Carolina Battleground Preservation Trust has partnered with the American Battlefield Trust to lead this historic effort to protect The Liberty Trail’s battlefields and bring them to life. Learn more about them at https://www.scbattlegroundtrust.org.

Lorna Hainesworth: National Ambassador & Traveler

Lead Sponsor

The Liberty Trail would not be possible without the generosity of Lorna Hainesworth, Ambassador and National Traveler. Ms. Hainesworth has visited each and every stop on The Liberty Trail, and many places beyond. We are beyond grateful for her generosity.

Additional Thanks

The Liberty Trail would also not be possible without numerous valued partners at the federal, state and local levels.

  • National Park Service
  • South Carolina Department of Archives and History
  • South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism
  • South Carolina State Parks
  • South Carolina Association of Tourism Regions
  • South Carolina American Revolution Sestercentennial Commission
  • Berkeley County Soil & Water Conservation District
  • Charleston County Greenbelt Program
  • Kershaw County 
  • Lancaster County
  • Town of Heath Springs
  • Town of Sullivan’s Island
  • Department of the Navy
  • Audubon South Carolina
  • Beaufort County Open Land Trust
  • Charleston County Public Library 
  • Charleston Museum 
  • Cherokee Historical and Preservation Society
  • Clemson/College of Charleston Historic Preservation Program 
  • Colleton County Historical Society
  • Historic Camden Foundation 
  • Katawba Valley Land Trust
  • Lord Berkeley Conservation Trust
  • Morris Center in Ridgeland
  • Palmetto Conservation Foundation 
  • Preservation South Carolina
  • Santee Cooper
  • Spartanburg County Historical Association 
  • Sumter Guards 
  • Washington Light Infantry

Exploring 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
Gaffney, SC
James Henderson Williams (1740–1780) was an American pioneer, farmer, and miller from the Ninety-Six District in South Carolina, who played a key role in the American Revolution. Initially a member of...
National Park | Historic Site
Gaffney, SC
Stretching 330-miles through four states (Virginia, Tennessee, North and South Carolina) the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail traces the route used by Patriot militia during the pivotal...
State/County Park
Catawba, SC

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.

Battlefield
Sullivan's Island, SC

Treacherous waters and Patriot fire foil a British attack on Charleston Harbor

Battlefield | Historic Site
Moncks Corner, SC

Eighteenth-century Moncks Corner was a crossroads settlement of stores and taverns at the intersection of the Cherokee Path (the Indian traders’ path) and the road from Charleston to Santee. A powder magazine was established in 1760 and the village was occupied as a store depot by the British during the Revolutionary War.

Historic Site |
Moncks Corner, SC

The Berkeley County Museum is located in historic Moncks Corner, South Carolina and contains Revolutionary stories and artifacts from around the county.

Historic Site
Charleston, SC

Completed in 1713, The Powder Magazine is South Carolina's oldest government building.

Historic Site | Historic House
Clemson, SC

Located near the famous Treaty of Hopewell site, the Hopewell Plantation house was the Pickens' family home and later served as the South Carolina Governor's Mansion.

National Park | Historic Site
Huger, SC

The Francis Marion is a forest literally steeped in history. Marion, dubbed the “Swamp Fox” by the British troops whose supply lines he disrupted with surprise attacks from the swamps.

Battlefield | Historic Site
Moncks Corner, SC

Former Plantation of Henry Laurens: Merchant, Slave Trader, South Carolina Statesman, and Father of Revolutionary War Soldier John Laurens.

Battlefield | National Park
Ninety Six, SC

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.

Historic Site | Gardens & Grounds
Charlestown, SC

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