Liberty Trail
May is Historic Preservation Month, and the project that resonates most strongly with me is the Liberty Trail, a joint effort between the South Carolina Battleground Preservation Trust and the American Battlefield Trust. The 400-mile trail will highlight 70 sites from the South Carolina mountains to the coast, tied together by an app that will link lodging and restaurants. Look for the app to become operational in late 2020.
Many Wisconsinites enjoy traveling to South Carolina, but few know that more Revolutionary War engagements happened in South Carolina (about 200, according to the National Park Service) than in any other colony. And that is where our freedom from Great Britain was won.
“Really?” one might say. “Never read that in my school textbook before!”
OK, here are some teasers to spark your skeptical inquiry:
- If you are a hockey fan, ask yourself this: Do I watch the third and final period of the game? Hmmm.
- Everybody knows that there was war in Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey (the textbooks tell us so). So how did it come to be that in the fall of 1781, Lord Cornwallis’ army desperately sought refuge on the south bank of the York River in Virginia in hopes of being rescued by British ships? Hmmm.
- Who was Lyman Draper? Did he do something to help us know about one of the most important feats in American military history? Hmmm.
I can’t wait to travel to my native state to use the app, study the sites, and enjoy lodging and meals along the way. I hope you do, too. And while we’re at it, let’s bring ideas from the Liberty Trail back to Wisconsin and Marathon County, to further develop historical tourism in my adopted state.
Happy trails!
Russ Wilson
President
Board of Directors
Marathon County Historical Society