A War Between Neighbors: Using Interactive Interpretation at Musgrove Mill to Explore the Impact of the Revolutionary War on the American South

Architectural design of the interior of the updated visitor center

South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism

Recipient: South Carolina State Park Service (Laurens County, SC)
Amount: $158,654.00

By the fall of 1780, all major cities in the state of South Carolina were occupied by British forces. In response, American Patriots attempted to resist any further British advance by controlling local foodstuffs and key transportation routes. A strategy that made Musgrove Mill an appealing target. Not only for the Mill’s grain supply, but the fact that there was a large ford located nearby on the Enoree River. Accordingly, on August 19th the Patriots attacked using hit-and-run tactics, and lured the Loyalists guarding the Mill into an ambush on the other side of the river. Lasting for only an hour, the loyalists lost more than 130 men, over 25% of their total unit, forcing them to withdraw towards the British base at the village of Ninety-Six.

The battle at Musgrove Mill is an example of numerous fights that took place in the American South during the Revolutionary War. Engagements that didn’t involve large armies or famous generals, but small, intimately violent actions between American Patriots and Loyalists Militia in the rural countryside. Battles that sometimes were fought between neighbors or resulted in vigilante justice being meted out through indiscriminate civilian casualties. Harsh realities that state agencies in South Carolina are now trying to interpret through more enhanced educational experiences.

Using the financial support of a Battlefield Interpretation Grant, the South Carolina State Park Service will develop and install new museum exhibits at the Battle of Musgrove Mill State Historic Site. These exhibits will focus on the divided loyalties of southerners during the American Revolution, and provide insight into how the battle and larger war impacted southern society during the conflict. Encouraging audiences to explore the complex topics of freedom, independence, and slavery through interactive holograms and augmented reality displays. Technology that the South Carolina State Park Service intends to use to interpret these dense subjects in a more accessible way to the general public.

Battlefield Interpretation Grants from the NPS American Battlefield Protection Program support preservation partners efforts to modernize and enhance battlefield interpretation. Helping to create learning environments that inspire diverse audiences to visit, understand, and empathize with the soldiers and civilians that witnessed some of our nation’s most challenging events. In addition to this grant opportunity, the program also provides financial assistance through Battlefield Land Acquisition Grants, Battlefield Restoration Grants, and Preservation Planning Grants, to help generate community-driven stewardship of historic resources at the state, tribal and local levels.