If you are an early American history buff then you might want to plan a quick trip to North Carolina for the dedication of a couple of new segments of trail being commissioned by the National Park Service.
Bring your camera and maybe a warm jacket for the October 6 event.
National Park Service to open two Polk segments of Overmountain Victory Trail
September 11, 2007
Celebration planned Oct. 6
http://www.nps.gov/ovvi/planyourvisit/upload/OVMT.PDF
Two Polk County segments of the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail will be certified by the National Park Service and opened to the public in a ceremony next month.
The trail segments, totaling more than two miles, are the first portion of the trail in Polk County to be certified by the National Park Service as part of the Overmountain Victory Trail.
The celebration will take place Oct. 6 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the White Oak Golf and Equestrian Community, nine miles east of Columbus.
The National Park Service will preside over the certification of the Polk County trail segments and will open them to the public at 1 p.m. Also recognized will be White Oak Golf and Equestrian Community and Overmountain Vineyards for their private efforts in protecting, preserving and providing access to the original historic trail section still visible after 227 years.
The White Oak Community, Overmountain Vinyards, and the Polk County Office of Economic Development worked in partnership with the National Park Service to make this event possible.
Black powder demonstrations, Revolutionary War re-enactors, and Cherokee history and military displays will all be part of the occasion. In addition, those attending can enjoy a free turkey shoot, a complimentary picnic barbeque lunch, and family activities.
October 6 is also “Citizen-Soldier Day” in Polk County. Regional National Guard and Reserve members and their families will be honored.
The Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail stretches 330 miles across four states from Sycamore Shoals in Elizabethton, Tenn., to Kings Mountain, S.C. It is the route marched by more than 1,000 patriot soldiers as they pursued the Tory Army in the fall of 1780, finally engaging them on Oct. 7 at Kings Mountain, a turning point of the Revolutionary War.
The Oct. 6 celebration in Polk County is scheduled to coincide with the Overmountain Victory Trail Association’s annual “March to Kings Mountain.” The reenactment group left Eliza-bethton on September 25. They will reach Polk County on October 6 for the certification ceremony, where they will perform reenactments and historical sketch-es. Then, they will head out to reach Kings Mountain on October 7.
“We are looking forward to families joining us at White Oak to mark this historic day for Polk County, enjoy a free picnic barbeque and take part in activities that illuminate the pivotal role this part of the trail played in the Revolutionary War,” says Ambrose Mills, a coordinator of the event and a descendant of Col. Ambrose Mills, who fought at the Battle of Kings Mountain.
The event venue, the White Oak Community, is located off Sandy Plains Road near Pea Ridge Road in Polk County. For more information about the day of events at the Overmountain Victory Trail in Polk County, call 828-863-2746 or 828-894-2895.
Sources; Google, Tryon Daily Bulletin
Map; http://www.nps.gov/ovvi/planyourvisit/upload/OVMT.PDF
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