Last updated: May 22, 2025
Place
Overmountain Men Monument at Gillespie Gap, Milepost 331
NPS Photo
Quick Facts
Location:
Museum of North Carolina Minerals, Milepost 331
Significance:
Monument to American Revolution Overmountain Men
Amenities
5 listed
Benches/Seating, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Parking - Auto, Pets Allowed, Trailhead
The Overmountain Men were American pioneers who settled west of the Appalachian Mountains in an area they called the Watauga Settlement. Parts of modern-day Tennessee, Virginia and North Carolina made of the settlement lands.
The Overmountain Men were originally reluctant to pick up arms for the Patriot cause. However, when British Major Patrick Ferguson threatened to bring his army across the mountain if they did not swear allegiance to the King, the Overmountain Men were outraged.
They decided to organize an attack against Major Ferguson. Troops were gathered in Sycamore Shoals, Tennessee, an outpost on the Watauga River, near present day Elizabethton, Tennessee. They then rode to the mountains of North Carolina.
On the evening of September 28th, nearly 1,000 rifle-armed, mounted militiamen reached the fields along Grassy Creek, North Carolina. These Overmountain soldiers were under the command of Colonel Isaac Shelby, Colonel John Sevier, Colonel William Campbell and Colonel Charles McDowell. They had completed a hard 20-mile ride that day from the top of snow-covered Yellow Mountain, following Bright’s Trace along the North Toe River to the mouth of Grassy Creek, near the modern-day town of Spruce Pine, North Carolina.
At Grassy Creek, they found an excellent place to make camp with plenty of fresh water available for the men and their horses. Over their campfires, they prepared a simple meal of parched corn and finished off the last of their beef rations. The next morning the officers formed their men up, ordered them to mount their horses, and rode out of camp.
Half the men rode with Colonel Campbell across the Blue Ridge through Gillespie and Lynn Gaps into Turkey Cove to seek out intelligence from suspected Loyalist Henry Gillespie. They crossed the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains near the town of Spruce Pine, North Carolina. On the night of September 29, they camped near the present-day site of the Museum of North Carolina Minerals (Milepost 331) on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
The other half of the men, under Colonel Shelby and Colonel Sevier, returned to the North Toe River and followed Roses Creek to Hefner Gap, where they crossed the Blue Ridge and descended into North Cove.
The monument you see is dedicated to the Overmountain Men who passed through this area on their way to the Battle of Kings Mountain in South Carolina. During that battle Major Ferguson was killed and his army defeated.
The monument includes a bronze plaque that is jointly dedicated to the passage of the Overmountain Men, Francis Marion, and to the men of the 30th Infantry Division who broke the Hindenburg Line in World War One. It was initially dedicated on July 4, 1927, closer to the intersection of highway 26 and the Blue Ridge Parkway. At the initial dedication the Blue Ridge Parkway did not exist in this area. In 1955 the Museum of North Carolina Minerals was built, and the monument was moved to its current location. In 1980 the National Park Service rededicated the monument to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the march of the “Over the Mountain Men.” A re-dedication plaque was placed in the stone paved area in front of the original plaque.
Check out the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail’s website to learn more about the Overmountain men and their journey.
The Overmountain Men were originally reluctant to pick up arms for the Patriot cause. However, when British Major Patrick Ferguson threatened to bring his army across the mountain if they did not swear allegiance to the King, the Overmountain Men were outraged.
They decided to organize an attack against Major Ferguson. Troops were gathered in Sycamore Shoals, Tennessee, an outpost on the Watauga River, near present day Elizabethton, Tennessee. They then rode to the mountains of North Carolina.
On the evening of September 28th, nearly 1,000 rifle-armed, mounted militiamen reached the fields along Grassy Creek, North Carolina. These Overmountain soldiers were under the command of Colonel Isaac Shelby, Colonel John Sevier, Colonel William Campbell and Colonel Charles McDowell. They had completed a hard 20-mile ride that day from the top of snow-covered Yellow Mountain, following Bright’s Trace along the North Toe River to the mouth of Grassy Creek, near the modern-day town of Spruce Pine, North Carolina.
At Grassy Creek, they found an excellent place to make camp with plenty of fresh water available for the men and their horses. Over their campfires, they prepared a simple meal of parched corn and finished off the last of their beef rations. The next morning the officers formed their men up, ordered them to mount their horses, and rode out of camp.
Half the men rode with Colonel Campbell across the Blue Ridge through Gillespie and Lynn Gaps into Turkey Cove to seek out intelligence from suspected Loyalist Henry Gillespie. They crossed the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains near the town of Spruce Pine, North Carolina. On the night of September 29, they camped near the present-day site of the Museum of North Carolina Minerals (Milepost 331) on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
The other half of the men, under Colonel Shelby and Colonel Sevier, returned to the North Toe River and followed Roses Creek to Hefner Gap, where they crossed the Blue Ridge and descended into North Cove.
The monument you see is dedicated to the Overmountain Men who passed through this area on their way to the Battle of Kings Mountain in South Carolina. During that battle Major Ferguson was killed and his army defeated.
The monument includes a bronze plaque that is jointly dedicated to the passage of the Overmountain Men, Francis Marion, and to the men of the 30th Infantry Division who broke the Hindenburg Line in World War One. It was initially dedicated on July 4, 1927, closer to the intersection of highway 26 and the Blue Ridge Parkway. At the initial dedication the Blue Ridge Parkway did not exist in this area. In 1955 the Museum of North Carolina Minerals was built, and the monument was moved to its current location. In 1980 the National Park Service rededicated the monument to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the march of the “Over the Mountain Men.” A re-dedication plaque was placed in the stone paved area in front of the original plaque.
Check out the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail’s website to learn more about the Overmountain men and their journey.
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- Duration:
- 2 minutes, 11 seconds
The Overmountain Victory Trail crosses what is now the Blue Ridge Parkway at Gillespie Gap. This trail follows the route the Overmountain Men took on their way to the eventual Battle of Kings Mountain in October of 1780. This battle was pivotal in the completion of the Revolutionary War and helped secure victory for Americans.