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...

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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

Christopher Greene, a Rhode Island militia leader and cousin of Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene, served with distinction during the American Revolution, including defending Fort Mercer and commanding the 1st Rhode Island Regiment. He was killed in action during a 1781 battle at Pines Bridge, remembered for his valor and the role of Black soldiers in his regiment.

Biography

Son of prominent leader John Baptista Ashe, John Ashe emerged as a leading Patriot in North Carolina, turning from crown loyalist to Revolutionary commander after colonial unrest and rising to brigadier general by 1776. Though defeated at Brier Creek and later captured when British forces overran Wilmington, Ashe died a prisoner of war in 1781 after contracting smallpox.

Biography

Washington's enslaved huntsman and valet, William Lee was tasked with following Washington throughout the war where he witnessed events such as the encampment at Valley Forge and the victory at Yorktown.

Biography

Colonel Samuel Griffin, a Virginia lawyer and officer in the Continental Army, played a key role in the 1776 campaign, leading militia units in New Jersey and engaging the Hessians near Mount Holly. Stricken by illness during critical battles, he later served as mayor of Williamsburg and a U.S. congressman after the war.

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.
Battlefield |
Chesapeake, VA

The primary approach to Norfolk, Virginia, was over Great Bridge, which spanned the Elizabeth River. On the morning of December 9, 1775, British soldiers attacked Patriot forces near the bridge in an attempt to seize the bridge and run off the rebels.

Historic Site
Charleston, SC

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

Historic Site |
Pawtucket, RI
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...
National Park | Historic House
Morristown, NJ

The mansion once housed George Washington, who utilized it as his headquarters in the freezing winter of 1779.

Historic Site | Historic House
Union, NJ

Liberty Hall was home to trailblazing governors, congressmen, senators, assembly persons, philanthropists, and entrepreneurs. Inhabited by William Livingston, New Jersey’s first elected governor and a signer of the United States Constitution, the 14-room Georgian-style home evolved over time into a 50-room Victorian mansion.

Historic Site |
Lynn, MA
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
Heath Springs, SC

This battleground was the site of three British camps, attacked by Patriot troops on August 6, 1780. It was a fight primarily between countrymen.

Historic Site
Charleston, SC

Completed in 1771, the Old Exchange Building is a Charleston landmark and the site of some of the most important events in South Carolina history. Over the last two and a half centuries, the building has been a commercial exchange, custom house, post office, city hall, military headquarters, and museum.

Battlefield |
Huntersville, NC

In an attempt to stall Cornwallis force, a contingent of Patriots initiated a delaying action which led to the death of General William Davidson

Historic Site |
Stafford Springs, CT
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...
Historic Site |
Somerville, NJ

This parsonage was constructed in the 1750s and housed the reverend of the Dutch congregation in what is now modern-day Somerville.

Historic Site | Historic House
Charleston, SC

Visit Historic Drayton Hall — Tour the nation’s oldest preserved plantation house in America still open to the public. Explore Drayton Hall's 18th-century architecture, landscapes & the people who lived here.