Revolutionary War & Colonial History

Determination, Strength & Courage on the Early Frontier

The Overmountain people began settlements along the Watauga River at Sycamore Shoals and the nearby Nolichucky and Holston Rivers during the eighteenth century. The settlers overcame what seemed impossible. They created their own government, bought land from the Cherokee people, and then ultimately had to defend their families from Cherokees hoping to recover their ancestral lands. When the Southern Campaign of the American Revolution began, the Overmountain Men joined the fight for independence, defeating the British in 1780 at Kings Mountain. This nationally significant event changed the direction of the war in favor of the Patriot cause.

Author Jennifer Bauer shares the challenges, conflicts, and accomplishments of both the European and Indigenous people in this fascinating look at the first frontier settlement west of the thirteen English colonies.

Centuries of American Significance

In the mid-1700s, the James River intersection of the Great Western Road and the Great Wagon Road embodied the crossroads of America. Abolitionist and Quaker John Lynch began a ferry service, and in 1754, the area became Bedford County. The county seat in New London welcomed Patrick Henry for his famous “Beef! Beef!” speech. Thomas Jefferson built a home nearby in 1808 and enrolled his grandson in New London Academy, chartered in 1795 and still in operation. The county has since seen tales of farm life, American music, industry, and heroism. The National D-Day Memorial, dedicated in 2001 by George W. Bush, was placed in the town of Bedford to honor the unequaled sacrifice made on June 6, 1944. Author James Siddons chronicles notable moments and lesser-known sagas in the annals of Bedford County.