Gov. Henry McMaster,
and Sarah Jane Armstrong
The American Battlefield Trust and the South Carolina Battleground Preservation Trust had a Press Conference and reception to announce the launch of the Liberty Trail of South Carolina American Revolution Sestercentennial Commission. In 2026 South Carolina will be celebrating the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution. One speaker said, “The War may have begun in the North and ended in Virginia; however, the American Revolution was fought in South Carolina. South Carolina has 200 battle sites.”
The Liberty Trail will be a one of a kind educational and heritage tourism experience that combines the preservation, interpretation and promotion of key battlefields of the Southern Campaigns of the American Revolution. The Liberty Trail will link more than 70 sites and protect more than 2, 500 acres. The sites nearest Fountain Inn would be King’s Mountain National Military Park, Cowpens National Battlefield, Blackstock Battlefield State Historic Site, Musgrove Mill State Historic site, and Ninety Six National Historic site.
General William Moultrie wrote in his memoirs. “These were horrid times for poor Carolina! The loss of property was now of no consideration whilst the blood of their citizens was streaming down every pore. It was generally said, and believed, that the District of Ninety Six alone had fourteen hundred unhappy widows, and orphans were left to bemoan the fate of their unfortunate fathers, brother, and husbands killed in the war.”
Laurens County has several Revolutionary War sites:
Camp Rabon Creek, Hollingsworth Mill December ,1775…. 4,000 men were camped there to fight the Battle of the Great Cane Break in Indian Territory (Fork Shoals).
Musgrove Mill, Fort Lindley, Hammond’s Store, Williams Fort, Ellison Fort on Durbin Creek, Brown’s Station on Reedy River, Kellett’s Blockhouse on Rabon Creek, and Hayes Station are documented with pension records. Do you have an ancestor that fought in the American Revolution?
Volume II of the” Discovering Laurens County, Revolution and County growth 1775- 1840” covers the American Revolution in the Ninety Six District. The books are for sell at the Laurens County Museum or call 864-876-3712.
“The battlefields are our outdoor classrooms, teaching young and old alike about the sacrifices made to secure the precious freedoms we enjoy. We believe that history education is the foundation of good citizenship and a key ingredient in developing the leaders of tomorrow. “Preserve, Educate, Inspire “ is the motto of the American Battlefield Trust.
“It was an honor to have been invited and hear the major role South Carolina had in the American Revolution. I have been studying South Carolina History for years and it was magnificent to hear our state leaders tell our story.” reflected Sarah Jane Armstrong.♦
