Trail Sites

Liberty Trail Historic Sites

Discover the myriad of sites across The Liberty Trail where significant cultural and Revolutionary history unfolded. From military ruins to meticulously restored mansions, immerse yourself in the footsteps of our nation’s history-makers.

States of Interest:
North Carolina
Historic Site | Battlefield
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.

New Jersey
Historic Site
Rumson, NJ

In September 1780, Loyalist Colonel Tye captured Patriot captain Joshua Huddy after a fierce struggle. A Patriot ambush capsized their boat, allowing...

New Jersey
Historic Site
Haddonfield, NJ

Step into the Indian King Tavern, where revolutionaries once gathered, laws were forged, and history was made. This legendary Haddonfield landmark saw...

New Jersey
Historic Site | Historic House
Bedminister, NJ

The only surviving building associated with the Pluckemin Artillery Cantonment, America's first military academy, it served as the headquarters of...

New Jersey
State/County Park | Historic House
National Park, NJ

A home to a Quaker family, it served as a hospital following the Battle of Red Bank.

Massachusetts
Historic Site | Historic House
Arlington, MA

One of the bloodiest sites during the Battle of Lexington and Concord, this house saw extensive combat and still bears the scars left behind by the...

New Jersey
National Park | Historic Site
Morristown, NJ

Jockey Hollow, the site of General Washington’s winter encampment in 1779-1780, played a key role in forging the Continental Army's strength and unity...

Massachusetts
National Park | Historic House
Quincy, MA

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...

New Jersey
Historic Site | State/County Park
Titusville, NJ

Built in the 1740s, this building acted as a ferry house for those wishing to cross the Delaware, including the likes of George Washington and his men...

Filter By:
States of Interest

Liberty Trail History Makers

The Revolutionary War was a war unlike any other — one of ideas and ideals, that shaped “the course of human events. Explore the history and personalities from this pivotal time in American history.
Biography

Carl von Donop, a Hessian colonel, sought glory in the American Revolution but blundered at Trenton—possibly distracted by a "beautiful widow." To redeem himself, he led a doomed assault on Fort Mercer in 1777, suffering fatal wounds. Arrogant and unpopular, his American dream ended in defeat by the Delaware River.

Biography

A career soldier loyal to the Crown, Donald MacDonald fought at Culloden before crossing the Atlantic to rally Scottish Highlanders for Britain during the American Revolution. His effort was cut short when he was captured after the Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge and held by Patriot forces for more than a year.

Biography

Despite the prominent role Cornwallis played in the Revolution, Henry Clinton was blamed for the loss of the American colonies following the surrender at Yorktown.

Biography

A militia leader from South Carolina, Benjamin Cleveland challenged Patrick Ferguson at Kings Mountain and stole his stallion.

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.
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...
Battlefield
Coosawhatchie, SC

In May 1779, British troops under Augustine Prevost advanced toward Charleston, prompting William Moultrie to withdraw as John Laurens rashly engaged at the Coosawhatchie River and was driven back with heavy losses.

State/County Park | Historic House
McClellanville, SC

This 18th-century plantation home, on the grounds of the Hampton Plantation State Historic Site, served as a place of refuge for Francis Marion who hid here from when British troops.

Battlefield | State/County Park
Summerville, SC

An oyster-shell, “tabby,” fortress, originally constructed here during the French and Indian War, was restored, and occupied by both the British and Patriots.

Historic Site | Battlefield
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.

Historic Site | Battlefield
Princeton, NJ

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.

State/County Park | Historic Site
Charleston, SC

The White Point Garden offers incredible views that span across the Ashley and Cooper Rivers. Fort Sumter, Castle Pinckney, and the Sullivan Island Lighthouse can all be spotted in the distance. The Defenders of Fort Moultrie, a monument honoring South Carolinian soldiers during the Battle of Sullivan's Island is centrally located.

Historic Site |
Williamsburg, VA

Known worldwide as the nation's largest living history museum, Colonial Williamsburg operates the restored eighteenth-century capital of colonial Virginia.

National Park | Battlefield
Concord , MA

The site of the famous "Shot Heard Around the World," the Old North Bridge served as the flashpoint of the American Revolution. To this day, historians debate who fired the first shot, here, which led to the Battle of Lexington and Concord.

Historic Site |
Pembroke, NH
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
Manalapan, NJ

The Battle of Monmouth took place on June 28, 1778, between the Continental Army and British forces, and is now preserved as Monmouth Battlefield State Park.

Historic Site | Historic House
Bedminister, NJ

The only surviving building associated with the Pluckemin Artillery Cantonment, America's first military academy, it served as the headquarters of Henry Knox during the Middlebrook encampment of 1778-1779.