Historic Resource Study: Road, Trails, and Burial Sites

Bearss, Edwin

Thomas Jefferson called it "The turn of the tide of success." The battle of Kings Mountain, fought October 7th, 1780, was an important American victory during the Revolutionary War. The battle was the first major patriot victory to occur after the British invasion of Charleston, SC in May 1780. The park preserves the site of this important battle. This report–Historic Grounds Study, Kings Mountain National Military Park–has been prepared to satisfy the research needs as developed in discussions with Superintendent Ben Moomaw of Kings Mountain National Military Park, and Archeologists Jack Walker of the Service's Southeast Archeological Center and Richard F. Carrillo of the South Carolina Institute of Archeology and Anthropology. Its primary purpose is to document the history of the area's roads and trails, and to provide information to assist the archeologists in locating and identifying historic roads and trails. Another goal of this report is to provide documentary information on the burial sites of the men killed in the battle and interred on the battleground. To accomplish these goals, all available primary and secondary source material, published and unpublished, at the Library of Congress, National Archives, the South Carolina and North Carolina Departments of Archives and History, and the York and Cherokee County Courthouses focusing on the battle of Kings Mountain, local road networks, and landownerships were examined. Local historians and descendants of pioneer settlers were contacted and interviewed. Microfilm of relevant sections of the Draper Collection was studied.

Historic Resource Study: Road, Trails, and Burial Sites

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