WINNSBORO – Fairfield County will host a historical celebration on April 25 – 26, titled “Fairfield in the Revolution: Stories of the Backcountry” to commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence from Great Britain. The event is located at 214 Hudson St. and Saturday’s event runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday’s from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.
The weekend, which focuses on the area’s colonial people and events in Fairfield County, will be held on the green at the historical Mt. Zion campus where British Lord General Cornwallis‘s several hundred army regulars camped during the winter of 1780–81. The little eighteenth-century school there was named the Mt. Zion Institute. The site now is known as Winnsboro’s War Memorial Park and the Mt. Zion Green Trail.
Activities will feature civilian life reenactors, artillery musters and musket firing demonstrations, cavalry troops on horseback, a visit by George Washington, and historical skits involving Lord Cornwallis, Reverend William Martin, Richard Winn, and other historic figures. An African American troupe will depict lifeways from the black culture of the period. There will be food trucks, period-themed vendors, and kids’ activities.
The SC American Revolution 250th Commission, Fairfield County Council, Fairfield County Chamber of Commerce, Fairfield County Museum, Fairfield County 250 Committee, and volunteers from the community are joining forces to produce the event.
To help you plan your visit, the full schedule of events for the weekend is as follows:
Saturday, April 25th (10 AM to 5 PM)
Morning Session
- 10:00 AM: The War Time Experiences of Reverend William Martin (Presentation Tent)
- 10:30 AM: Lord Cornwallis addresses the public (Presentation Tent)
- 11:00 AM: Continental Troops, Militia, and Continental Artillery Muster (Park Center)
- 11:15 AM: His Excellency George Washington Passes in Review (Park Center)
- 11:30 AM: Feu De Josie (Fire of Joy) by Continental Troops, followed by Artillery Salute and 3rd Light Infantry Dragoons Horsemanship (Park Center)
- 12:00 PM: General Washington addresses the public (Park Center)
- 12:30 PM: Billy Lee (George Washington’s Valet de Chamber) addresses the public about his role in aiding General Washington (Presentation Tent)
- 1:00 PM: Slave Dwelling Project – Voices of Fairfield County African Americans during the Revolutionary War (Presentation Tent)
Afternoon Session (repeat of morning session)
- 1:30 PM: The War Time Experiences of Reverend William Martin (Presentation Tent)
- 2:00 PM: Lord Cornwallis addresses the public (Presentation Tent)
- 2:30 PM: Continental Troops, Militia, and Continental Artillery Muster (Park Center)
- 2:45 PM: His Excellency George Washington Passes in Review (Park Center)
- 3:00 PM: Feu De Josie (Fire of Joy) by Continental Troops, followed by Artillery Salute and 3rd Light Infantry Dragoons Horsemanship (Park Center)
- 3:30 PM: General Washington addresses the public (Park Center)
- 4:00 PM: Billy Lee (George Washington’s Valet de Chamber) addresses the public (Presentation Tent)
- 4:30 PM: Slave Dwelling Project – Voices of Fairfield County African Americans (Presentation Tent)
Sunday, April 26th (12 PM to 3 PM)
- 12:30 PM: Lord Cornwallis addresses the public (Presentation Tent)
- 1:00 PM: Continental Troops, Militia, and Continental Artillery Muster (Park Center)
- 1:15 PM: His Excellency George Washington Passes in Review (Park Center)
- 1:30 PM: Feu De Josie (Fire of Joy) by Continental Troops, followed by Artillery Salute and 3rd Light Infantry Dragoons Horsemanship (Park Center)
- 2:00 PM: General Washington addresses the public (Park Center)
- 2:30 PM: Billy Lee (George Washington’s Valet de Chamber) addresses the public (Presentation Tent)