Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail

On By nationalparkswithtIn Virginia4 Comments

NPTC Southeast Convention Road Trip➤

My friend Patty and I travelled to Asheville, North Carolina for the 2023 National Park Travelers Club Convention. The convention rotates to a different region each year. For 2023, it was in the Southeast region. On the way down, during the convention and on the way home we visited nine National Park Service units and some other parks. On the fifth day of our road trip we started heading north for the journey home. We stopped at the Abingdon Muster Grounds, part of the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail.

Overmountain Victory➤

The Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail is a 330-mile route commemorating the path taken by patriot militia during the American Revolutionary War. This trail retraces the journey of the Overmountain Men, a group of frontiersmen from western North Carolina, eastern Tennessee, southwestern Virginia, and Kentucky, who mustered in September 1780 and marched to confront British forces. Their pivotal victory at the Battle of Kings Mountain on October 7, 1780, is considered a turning point in the Southern campaign of the war.

The Abingdon Muster Grounds, located in Abingdon, Virginia, mark the northern terminus of the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail. In late September 1780, patriot militia from the surrounding region assembled at the Abingdon Muster Grounds. This gathering was part of the broader mobilization of frontier militia who would join forces to fight against British Major Patrick Ferguson’s Loyalist troops.

When we looked this site up, the NPS site listed it as open 7 days a week. When we pulled into the site, the visitor center was closed. But we met Michael, a volunteer who keeps the site running, on the grounds. He’d been clearing brush and doing maintenance in the field all day, but when he found out we’d driven hours to see the muster grounds, he opened the visitor center and gave us a personal tour.

Plan Your Visit➤

If you plan to visit, call ahead to be sure someone will be there. Michael’s knowledge of and passion for the history of the Overmountain Troops makes it worth the stop. This is an underfunded site. Volunteers keep the place running and host reenactments and other events. The Muster Grounds Committee, Inc tries to fill in the funding gaps. Donations can be sent to The Muster Grounds Committee, 214 Park Street SE, Unit 5, Abingdon, VA 24210. You can follow their activities on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AbingdonMusterGrounds.

Southeast Convention Posts➤

Location: 1780 Muster Pl, Abingdon, VA
Designation: National Historic Trail
Date designated/established: 1980
Date of my visit: August 5, 2023