The road to the park. You have to drive through the Kings Mountain State Park to get to the National Park.
I printed out directions from Map Quest. They were wrong. I finally called the park and got the proper directions. Being lost for a bit helped us find our way back to the highway much easier. It is very easy to find with the right directions!
We also had to watch the film. We were supposed to take a hike. It was a mile and a half, and it was 96 degrees. The nice Ranger told us that Lon could do two extra things in the booklet and that would count since it was so hot.
Lon was happy to do that. He did not want to do a walk in the woods in the heat. There were also lots of bugs too !
We both learned a lot about Kings Mountain. The battle was a turning point in the Revolutionary War.
History Bit: (From wikipedia ):
The Battle of Kings Mountain was a decisive battle between the Patriot and Loyalist militias in the Southern campaign of the American Revolutionary War. The battle took place on October 7, 1780, nine miles south of the present-day town of Kings Mountain, North Carolina in rural York County, South Carolina, where the Patriot militia defeated the Loyalist militia commanded by British Major Patrick Ferguson of the 71st Foot.
Ferguson had arrived in North Carolina in early September 1780 with the purpose of recruiting for the Loyalist militia and protecting the flank of Lord Cornwallis' main force. Ferguson issued a challenge to the rebel militias to lay down their arms or suffer the consequences. In response, the Patriot militias led by James Johnston, William Campbell, John Sevier, Joseph McDowell and Isaac Shelby rallied for an attack on Ferguson.
Receiving intelligence on the oncoming attack, Ferguson decided to retreat to the safety of Lord Cornwallis' army. However, the Patriots caught up with the Loyalists at Kings Mountain on the border with South Carolina. Achieving a complete surprise, the Patriot militiamen attacked and surrounded the Loyalists, inflicting heavy casualties. After an hour of battle, Ferguson was fatally shot while trying to break the rebel line, after which his men surrendered. Eager to avenge Banastre Tarleton's alleged massacre of the militiamen at the Battle of Waxhaws, the Patriots gave no quarter until the rebel officers re-established control over their men. Although victorious, the Patriots had to retreat quickly from the area for fear of Cornwallis' advance.
The battle was a pivotal moment in the Southern campaign. The surprising victory over the American Loyalist militia came after a string of rebel defeats at the hands of Lord Cornwallis, and greatly raised the Patriots' morale. With Ferguson dead and his Loyalist militia destroyed, Cornwallis was forced to abandon his plan to invade North Carolina and retreated into South Carolina.
Getting his badge!
Lon still loves Dioramas! He can look at them for hours.
We did a little tiny bit of the hike. It was hot. We might come back in October and try it again!
The battle site.
On our way home we passed this country store. We will have to stop here next time.
We stopped at a Certified Roadside Fruit and Vegetable Stand. It is called Bush and Vine. I did not know South Carolina certified roadside stands, but there was a nice sign saying they do! You could not buy just a couple peaches, you had to buy the whole bucket. So we did. We are going to make cobbler in the morning. We also bought some huge blackberries, but those will not last long. They are so good on ice cream! Lon and I ate a bunch in the car on the way home.
Can you see the giant bee?
We had a great day! Made it home before the rain! Which sort of fizzled out, and did not do much watering of the grass!
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