Local historian Durant Ashmore will lead interested citizens to walk back in time with visits to Fort Lindley and Great Cane Brake Battlefields.

At Fort Lindley in Laurens County, a backcountry fort set up to provide protection to settlers on the frontier. Two hundred Cherokees and Scopholites (Europeans dressed as Cherokees) attacked at midnight on July 15, 1776. After a brisk two-hour gunfight, the Cherokees retreated when the defenders charged from the fort. “Much blood but no bodies were found.”

At Patriot’s Grove, a pecan grove was planted in 1876 at the Historic Hopkins Farm in southern Greenville County. This is the site where the Battle of the Great Cane Brake occurred on Dec 22, 1775, and it is the only pitched battle ever fought in the county. This battle established Patriot dominance in the SC backcountry for the next 5 years.

This Saturday, February 25 at 10 am, there will be a battlefield walk at the site of For. Lindley. The defensive trenches of Ft. Lindley are still present. Then, at 12:00 the group will walk the battlefield at the Cane Brake. This will be a one-mile hike, with the last 100 yds uphill. Both of these sites are on private property and are only available for viewing on a limited basis.

The address of Fort Lindley is 200 Macasa Trail, Laurens. The address of the Great Cane Brake is the Historic Hopkins Farm, 3717 Fork Shoals Rd, Simpsonville. Anyone with questions can call Durant Ashmore at 864-915-6337.