OVERMOUNTAIN VICTORY CELEBRATION
Celebrating the 236th Anniversary of the
Muster in Abingdon and the Battle of Kings Mountain
Hear ye! Hear
ye! Overmountain Men and Living Historians will come to life at the
Overmountain Victory Celebration, to be held September 24, 2016 from 9:00 am
-3:00 pm at the Abingdon Muster Grounds. This event will highlight
the importance of the Washington County, Virginia militia and the Revolutionary
War Battle of Kings Mountain, 1780. The Overmountain Victory Trail Association
(OVTA) will perform the story of the Overmountain Men and the Battle of Kings
Mountain from 10:30 am-11:30 am. After their presentation, the OVTA will
begin their journey down the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail,
spending more than two weeks following the route of the Overmountain Men to the
battle of Kings Mountain. The OVTA will perform this story to over 10,000
people during the commemorative campaign. This is an opportunity to
witness remarkable historical interpretation! Throughout the 9 acre park,
there will be additional educational stations and demonstrations related to
life in backcountry Virginia during colonial times. At 2:00 pm, there
will be a Wreath-laying Ceremony which will honor the militiamen who bravely
fought at the Battle of Kings Mountain. This event has activities for the
whole family! Join the Overmountain Victory Trail Association, Blacks
Fort Chapter-DAR, and General William Campbell Chapter-SAR as we bring history
to life.
Certified by the
National Park Service as the northern trailhead of the Overmountain Victory
National Historic Trail, the Abingdon Muster Grounds is a picturesque 9-acre
park with significant history. When a call was issued for militia to
respond to British Major Patrick Ferguson’s threat that, “he would march his
army over the mountains, hang their leaders, and lay their country waste with
fire and sword,” men from all over the region moved into action. Under
the leadership of Colonel William Campbell, 400 Virginians set out to join
patriot militia from modern-day Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, and
Georgia. After a two week campaign, the Overmountain Men fought the
Battle of Kings Mountain with overwhelming success. Thomas Jefferson said
it was “the turn of the tide of success which terminated the Revolutionary War,
with the seal of our independence”.
The Keller Interpretive
Center, located at the Abingdon Muster Grounds, houses southwest Virginia’s
premier Revolutionary War exhibits. Artifacts associated with backcountry
Virginia and the Battle of Kings Mountain are on display.
If you would like more
information about this topic, please call 276-525-1050 or email lhunter@abingdon-va.gov.
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