Liberty! The Saga of Sycamore Shoals facts for kids
Liberty! The Saga of Sycamore Shoals is an exciting outdoor play. It used to be called The Wataugans. This play happens in Elizabethton, Tennessee, at the Sycamore Shoals Historic Area. It's the official outdoor drama for the state of Tennessee! The Friends of Sycamore Shoals put on this show every June. You can watch it on Friday and Saturday nights for the first two weekends. Then, it runs Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights for the next two weekends. The play uses both professional and local volunteer actors. It tells the story of early northeast Tennessee.
The Play's Story
Act I: Settling the Land
The play begins with early settlers living near the Holston and Watauga Rivers. This area is now part of East Tennessee. Back then, it wasn't officially part of North Carolina or Virginia. So, in 1772, these settlers decided to create their own government. They called it the Watauga Association. Some historians, like Theodore Roosevelt, say this was the first truly free government in America. It was created by people of European descent. The royal governor of Virginia, John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore, thought it was a dangerous idea. He worried it would encourage other colonists to break away.
In 1775, a man named Judge Richard Henderson tried to buy a huge area of land. This land is now most of Kentucky and Middle Tennessee. He wanted to buy it from the Cherokee Indians. This deal was called the Transylvania Purchase. A young Cherokee warrior named Dragging Canoe was against this purchase. He and his followers also didn't want the Watauga Association to buy the land they were living on.
Most older Cherokee chiefs, like Dragging Canoe's father Atta-culla-culla, wanted peace with the settlers. But the younger warriors decided to attack the settlements. The first act of the play ends with a big battle. This battle is the 1776 attack on a fort. The fort in the play is a copy of Fort Watauga, also known as Fort Caswell. During this battle, John Sevier meets his future wife, Catherine Sherrill. John Sevier later became the only governor of the State of Franklin. He was also the first governor of the State of Tennessee. He pulls Catherine over the fort wall as she runs from the Cherokees.
Act I finishes when the fort is saved. Then, news arrives about the Declaration of Independence.
Act II: Fighting for Freedom
The second act starts with the 1780 wedding of John Sevier and Catherine Sherrill, also known as 'Bonnie Kate'. But the celebration is interrupted! A messenger arrives with urgent news about the war. The British are fighting against the American colonists. Major Patrick Ferguson, a British officer, had threatened the settlers. He said he would march over the mountains. He promised to hang their leaders and destroy their homes.
The local leaders at the wedding decided to act. They agreed to gather their local militia (citizen soldiers). On September 25, 1780, they marched over the mountains. Their goal was to stop Ferguson before he could harm their families. This march led to the famous Battle of Kings Mountain. The people who marched were called the "Overmountain Men." Their victory over the British is often seen as a turning point in the American Revolution in the South.
The play shows the battle happening in the distance. It takes place on a small hill behind the fort. You hear narration, loud fireworks, and gunfire. This helps you imagine the battle.
While the Overmountain Men were away, the women and a few men stayed behind. They had to defend their homes from the Cherokee and British Indian agents.
The play ends with the Overmountain Men returning home. A short story is told about what some of them, like Landon Carter, did later in life.
Play History
The outdoor drama was first called "The Wataugans." Due to some legal issues, the play was rewritten. It was then given its new name, "Liberty! The Saga of Sycamore Shoals." After this change, the play was even performed in Nashville for one weekend.
In 2007, for its twenty-ninth season, the title officially changed to "Liberty! The Saga of Sycamore Shoals." The Watauga Historical Association, which used to support the play, no longer exists. Now, the Friends of Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park are the main supporters.
In 2009, the Tennessee General Assembly officially named "Liberty!" as Tennessee's official outdoor drama.
