Places to Learn About the American Revolution in the Upcountry

South Carolina’s Upcountry stretches from Gaffney to Greenville across the corner of the state at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. In the region, you’ll find outdoor adventures at half a dozen state parks, charming small towns and bustling cities, and scenic two-lane roads winding through the hills. But during the American Revolution, this area was an untamed frontier of hotly contested land rights.

Two significant Revolutionary War battles happened in the region, along with several smaller skirmishes. It’s the only tourism region in South Carolina featuring two national park units. But the best way to explore the Revolution in the Upcountry is to visit a local history museum.

Here’s a list of the places where you can learn about the American Revolution in the Upcountry and a few things to do while you’re there.

Upcountry History Museum

540 Buncombe St, Greenville, SC | 864-467-3100 

The Upcountry History Museum features a fascinating immersive visitor experience. Instead of full, unadorned walls like other museums, this museum built life-size historical sets interpreting moments of the region’s history. It’s more than just reading about the history—you get to walk through it. Learn about the region’s history at the interactive tabletop map, discover how the American Revolution shaped the frontier region, and continue exploring the museum to modern times.

Don’t Miss: A few minutes from the museum, Hampton Station is a wonderful place to spend an evening. Get a drink at Ink N Ivy, get dinner at White Duck Taco Shop, then chuck an axe at Craft Axe Throwing.

Walnut Grove Plantation

1200 Otts Shoals Rd, Roebuck, SC | 864-576-6546

Charles and Mary Moore settled on a land grant near present-day Spartanburg about 10 years before the American Revolution. When the Revolutionary War swept through South Carolina’s backcountry, the Moores firmly committed themselves to the Patriot cause—even when it put their lives at risk.

At Walnut Grove Plantation, you can take a guided tour of the historic house that was significantly upgraded after it was built in 1765. Explore additional outbuildings like a law office, one-room schoolhouse and kitchen. Then, go for a short walk to the family cemetery to see where Charles and Mary Moore are buried alongside their daughter and son-in-law, Andrew and Margaret Moore Barry.

Cowpens National Battlefield

4001 Chesnee Hwy, Gaffney, SC | 864-461-2828

Cowpens National Battlefield preserves the site of a pivotal 1781 battle between Daniel Morgan and Banastre Tarleton. The visitor center features an 18-minute movie, Cowpens: A Battle Remembered, that gives a fantastic introduction to the battle. Then, go for a walk on the 1.3-mile. partially paved Battlefield Trail to retrace the action. Read interpretive panels and learn about key moments of the battle where you are standing.

After the disastrous Battle of Camden in August 1780, no Continental Soldiers were remaining in South Carolina. Maintaining the drive for independence fell to militias organized by Andrew Pickens, Thomas Sumter and Francis Marion. But then, hope arrived on the heels of General Nathanael Greene and a fresh army of Continentals.

In early 1781. Greene dispatched Colonel Daniel Morgan to thwart an advance by Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton. Morgan chose a large field frequently used by grazing cattle as the battleground. When Tarleton attacked, Morgan expertly led him into a double envelopment—a trap that ensured a much-needed Patriot victory.

Don’t Miss: Founded in 1946, Strawberry Hill USA has grown from a small peach tree orchard to the largest strawberry farm in the state. The produce stand on SC Highway 11 is about twenty minutes from the national park unit and worth the drive for fresh fruits, vegetables and baked goods.

Kings Mountain National Military Park

2625 Park Rd, Blacksburg, SC | 864-936-7921

After his victory at the Battle of Camden, General Lord Cornwallis ordered Major Patrick Ferguson, with about 1,100 men, to move into the backcountry, protect his left flank and enlist Loyalists. Eager to achieve a complete British victory, Ferguson overextended himself with a not-so-subtle threat to the colonists in present-day Tennessee. After learning they had mustered a militia, Ferguson threatened to march to the frontier, disband their militia and hang their leaders.

The Overmountain Men did not take the threat lightly.

John Sevier and Isaac Shelby mustered troops in Virginia, Tennessee and North Carolina. They marched hundreds of miles toward Ferguson’s position in South Carolina. On October 7, 1780, the Overmountain Men caught up with Ferguson’s 1,100 men and engaged in a bloody battle that determined the course of the American Revolution.

Ferguson died during the battle, and his gravesite is marked along the trail through the park. Monuments are dedicated to the men who fought at the battle tower above the trees. The Battle of Kings Mountain was not the largest or most significant battle in the war, but it was the most important in South Carolina.

Watch an outstanding film about the battle in the comfortable theater at the Kings Mountain National Military Park visitor center. Then, explore the paved trail that loops around the mountain’s summit where the battle took place.

Don’t Miss: Drive half an hour to Gaffney and visit the James Williams Gravesite. Colonel Williams was one of the last casualties at the Battle of King’s Mountain. In 1915 he was reinterred to the gravesite in front of the former Carnegie Library and the future home of the Revolutionary War Discovery Center.

Battle of Musgrove Mill State Historic Site

398 State Park Rd, Clinton, SC 29325 | 864-938-0100 

After their victory at the Battle of Camden in mid-1780, the British quickly moved across the South Carolina backcountry to secure outposts, prevent Patriot uprisings and recruit Loyalists. When a unit of British regulars camped at Edward Musgrove’s mill on the Enoree River, Lieutenant Colonels Isaac Shelby, Elijah Clarke and James Williams knew they had a chance to earn a much-needed Patriot victory. On the morning of August 19, Captain Shadrack Inman took 25 men across the Enoree River and feigned surprise at bumping into a British encampment. The British gave chase, crossed the river and ran into the Patriot’s ambush. By the end of the battle, the British commander was dead, 150 more were dead or wounded, and 70 were captured.

The Battle of Musgrove Mill State Historic Site preserves the site of the British encampment on the Enoree River, though nothing remains of Musgrove’s mill today. Hike the short trail to the river and read the interpretive signs along the way. Then, drive across the river and park near the battlefield for another trail and interpretive signs.

Museum of the Cherokee in South Carolina

70 Short St, Walhalla, SC 

Colonists engaged in bloody conflicts with angered Cherokees as the colonial frontier pushed westward in the early 1700s. The Cherokee War from 1759 – 1761 brought a temporary peace to the region, but the American Revolution was an excuse to reignite the war fires. In 1776, Colonel Andrew Williamson marched an expeditionary force through the Cherokee towns and claimed their lands in South Carolina.

The Museum of the Cherokee in South Carolina explores the history of Native Americans in the state. The exhibits include the role of pivotal people, dozens of maps to visualize the changing boundaries and details on the Cherokee War of 1776 at the beginning of the Revolutionary War.

Don’t Miss: Nearby Oconee Station State Historic Site preserves a late 1700s trading post and blockhouse built shortly after the Revolutionary War.