Gillespie Gap
(Museum of North Carolina Minerals, National Park Service)

Museum of North Carolina Minerals, National Park Service<br />
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Photo by Randell Jones
"A Gap in History" exhibit<br />
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Photo by Randell Jones
View of the Catawba River valley from the Blue Ridge Parkway<br />
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Photo by Randell Jones
Gillespie Gap Monument<br />
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Photos by Randell Jones
Excerpt from "Before They Were Heroes at King's Mountain" by Randell Jones

Dublin Core

Title

Gillespie Gap
(Museum of North Carolina Minerals, National Park Service)

Description

After camping along the North Toe River at Grassy Creek, the Overmountain patriots marched up Grassy Creek on September 29 to reach the crest of the Blue Ridge. From Gillespie Gap, they could look far into the Catawba River valley. They faced there a difficult decision, to divide their army in the face of the enemy, so they could proceed down into the valley along two separate routes, either of which Ferguson's loyalists might be following into the mountains.

Today, the Museum of North Carolina Minerals along the Blue Ridge Parkway at NC Hwy 226 interprets the route of the Overmountain Men and their experiences that day.

Creator

Randell Jones, A Guide to the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail

Geolocation

Citation

Randell Jones, A Guide to the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail, “Gillespie Gap
(Museum of North Carolina Minerals, National Park Service),” Overmountain Victory Trail, accessed March 14, 2025, https://overmountainvictorytour.com/items/show/17.