Living History Sites

The Battle of Alamance site marks the 1771 clash between royal militia and Regulator rebels, often called the last battle of the colonial period. Visitors can explore monuments and exhibits interpreting this early struggle over authority in the Carolina backcountry.

The Dey Mansion, built around 1770, served as General George Washington’s headquarters in 1780 during a pivotal time in the American Revolution. As one of his surviving field headquarters, it offers a lasting connection to the strategic decisions, military challenges, and historic events that shaped the fight for independence.

Utilized during the second Middlebrook encampment by the Continental Army, this home served as the headquarters for Nathanael Greene from 1778-1779.

Located just south of the Chesapeake Bay, this "uninhabitable" Great Dismal Swamp was home to thousands of Native Americans and Maroons--self-emancipated slaves--throughout the 18th and 19th centuries.

A formidable fortress on the banks of the Hudson and Lake Champlain, this stone bastion was the source of Henry Knox's artillery in the opening years of the Revolution. Today, it's a hallmark of living history with interpreters being found at every corner.

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.

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.

Once a thriving commercial hub, Bethabara was home to a Moravian settlement in Winston-Salem that witnessed the French and Indian War, the Regulator War, and the American Revolution.

Known for having the "Bridge that Saved the Nation," these grounds were once traversed by George Washington and the battered Continental Army as it retreated from New York

Relocated Mansion of Founding Father, Alexander Hamilton.

Reconstructed Dutch farmstead and site of the 1776 Battle of Brooklyn, with local history displays.

A strategic location for the defense of New York's harbor, the Continentals failed to reinforce this peninsula, leading to the city's capture in August of 1776. A lighthouse dating to 1764 still operates there today, once serving as a Loyalist fortification.