Reviving the Over Mountain Victory Trail

A park I’ve been to was the Over Mountain Victory Trail of North Carolina. I visited a portion of the trail, but there is only a portion available. This is sad to me because of all the great time periods in America, my favorite is the Revolutionary War. This trail is where the North Carolinians walked from Virginia to South Carolina, where they battled the British on Kings Mountain. I like this trail because I am from North Carolina, I love the Revolution and the North Carolinians were told they couldn’t win this battle, but they did.

Now the trail is somewhat accessible, but only a small part of it. Most of the trail is covered by roads or running through private property. Now I think this a big part of American history that should be uncovered. I think that it would be really good if someone could uncover more of this trail for us and for future generations. My mom knows a guy who actually discovered his ancestor’s grave, along with the graves of other soldiers, by riding up and down that trail. This man could’ve ridden up and down that mountain for years not finding it because it hasn’t been preserved and hasn’t been made a real trail.

Now if the state of North Carolina, the National Park Service or the United States of America put in a little money and some effort, people could walk the same trail their ancestors walked on. I might have had an ancestor that walked on that trail and I would like to walk the same trail as him or her, and I think this would make a great national park and be something to make people proud of their family. But even if we’re not related to the people who walked that trail, we should be aware of the great soldiers that fought in the battle of Kings Mountain and gave us our freedom.

*Tom Goodwin is one of the honorable mentions winners of the National Parks Essay Contest. He lives in Raleigh, NC.