Overmountain Men are marching again

By: From Staff Reports | McDowell News
Published: September 27, 2009

This month, the Overmountain Victory Trail Association will hold its 35th annual re-enactment of the Overmountain Men's campaign and the Battle of King's Mountain, where an important victory was won in the cause for American independence.
Beginning in Abingdon, Va. on last Thursday, this group of volunteer historians will march the patriot route that was taken more than 200 years ago. As Thomas Jefferson stated, the Battle of King's Mountain on Oct. 7, 1780 turned the tide of the American Revolution. As they do every year, re-enactors will retrace the route of the Overmountain Men who left their mountain homes to fight the British forces under Major Patrick Ferguson.
McDowell County's school children will attend a storytelling event held by the re-enactors at the historic McDowell House on Tuesday. Thirteen demonstrators will be on site for children to learn how daily essentials were made in the 18th century. Items created through the skills of blacksmiths and weavers plus period games will be demonstrated. This event is made possible as a result of a special grant and with the generous donations made by supporters of the Joseph McDowell House project.
The pubic can attend a second performance by the Overmountain Men beginning at 7 p.m. Tuesday on the grounds of the McDowell House, located at 136 U.S. 70 in Marion. Parking is available at Mountain First Bank.
The McDowell House is the home of Joseph McDowell, who was a hero at the Battle of King's Mountain and the county's namesake.
Mike Dahl, leader of the re-enactment, said this year's event will be something very special. The Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail was awarded a $50,000 Active Trails Grant from the National Park Foundation through the generous support of the Coca-Cola Foundation, a partner of America's national parks. Only eight national parks in the entire country received the grant this year.
"We are distributing the grant money in the trail communities so they can host events telling the story and attracting more people to the trail than ever before," said Dahl.
Over the past four years, attendance at OVTA's storytelling programs has grown from 1,200 people to nearly 7,000.
Dahl says the projected attendance for this year might top 10,000 people and more than half of them will be school children.
"The excitement in the communities all along the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail is growing like crazy," he added. "This grant money is helping the communities build the foundation to protect and preserve their very own heritage."
The community events that are being funded by the Active Trails Grant are in Abingdon, Va., Bluff City, Rocky Mount State Historic Site, Sycamore Shoals State Historic Site and the Shelving Rock Campsite outside the village of Roan Mountain in Tennessee.
In North Carolina, Mitchell County, the Joseph McDowell House in Marion, Historic Burke in Morganton, Rutherford County, Polk County and the city of Elkin are all receiving grant money. Cowpens National Battlefield in South Carolina completes the list.
"All of us involved in the storytelling are dressed in authentic 18th century clothing and carry flintlock rifles such as those used in the Battle of King's Mountain," said Dahl. "We invite everyone to come out and join us for a day or evening story telling event. Come out and hear the story of the Overmountain Men. Come hear the story of the American spirit."
Learn more about McDowell County's contributions to OVTA events in McDowell County at www.mcdowellnc.org. The entire OVTA schedule is available at www.ovta.org.

Overmountain Men are marching again

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