Elizabethton Star: Kings Mountain SAR Chapter makes plans for September gathering at Sycamore Shoals

Elizabethton Star - by Larry Justis:  "​The Kings Mountain Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution made plans at its August meeting for the annual gathering at Sycamore Shoals State Park in Elizabethton Sept. 19-20. This celebration will commemorate the patriots who marched across the Appalachian Mountains during the American Revolutionary War to meet and defeat the British army led by Maj. Patrick Ferguson at the Battle of Kings Mountain. The Kings Mountain Chapter is partnering with the Watauga Chapter for this historical event. 

The weekend will also feature a Revolutionary War patriot grave-marking ceremony, historical re-enactments and a muster of troops featuring period re-enactors. 

​Guest speaker for the SAR meeting was Jonesborough attorney John Taylor, who presented a program, “Some East Tennessee Taylors Were Famous, Others Decided to Work.” Taylor shared the history of his family from Carter County, whose roots in the area extend to an era before the American Revolution. The Taylor family legacy includes several politicians, lawyers and at least one Pulitzer Prize winner.

Battle of Blue Licks 243rd Anniversary - Robertson County, KY

 

Picture Center Top L-R:  Alan Bell, Bob Waugh, Ben Stoncypher (VP TNSSAR & Chapter President), Rob Richmond (Registrar TNSSAR).
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​The Battle of Blue Licks, fought on August 19, 1782, was among the final battles of the American Revolutionary War. Though the war in the east had largely ended with Cornwallis’s surrender at Yorktown ten months earlier, conflict continued on the western frontier. The battle took place beside the Licking River in what is now Robertson County, Kentucky (then part of Virginia).

A force of roughly 50 Loyalists and 300 Native American warriors set an ambush for 182 Kentucky militia. The militia, partly commanded by frontiersman Daniel Boone, advanced despite warnings and were quickly overwhelmed. Nearly half of the Kentuckians were killed or captured, making it a devastating defeat.

Blue Licks became the last significant victory for Loyalist and Native forces in the Revolution. Still, frontier fighting was not yet finished. The following month, British and Native forces clashed with American defenders during the Siege of Fort Henry at Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia), marking another late chapter of the war.

Ramsey House - Patriot Grave Marking Ceremony - Knox County, TN

 

A Patriot Grave Marking Ceremony was held at the Historic Ramsey House, and was hosted by the Stephen Holston Chapter of the TNSSAR.  Pictured Upper Right:  Chapter member Stephen B. Kirby (far right) participated in the musket salute to honor the patriots.

Two of the Patriots honored at this ceremony are directly associated with the Ramsey House (John Alexander 1733-1814 and Reynolds Ramsey 1736-1816).

The Ramsey House, also known as Swan Pond, is a historic two-story stone home located in Knox County, Tennessee. Built in 1797 by English architect Thomas Hope, it was commissioned by Colonel Francis Alexander Ramsey (1764–1820), one of the region’s early civic leaders. The Ramsey family operated a plantation at the site until the Civil War, and in 1969 the house was added to the National Register of Historic Places for both its architecture and its significance to early Tennessee history.

Francis Alexander Ramsey first came to present-day Greene County in 1783. Soon after, while surveying the Holston River, he identified the future location of his family estate. Ramsey played an active role in the short-lived State of Franklin and later served in the governments of the Southwest Territory and the State of Tennessee. His descendants included William B. A. Ramsey, an early mayor of Knoxville, and historian J. G. M. Ramsey. During the Civil War, the family’s Confederate loyalties forced them to flee Knoxville, and the home was sold in 1866.

Meeting - New Members - August 14, 2025

 

Pictured L-R:  Ben Stonecypher (VP TNSSAR & Chapter President), Alex Long, Stephen Danner, Wendell Shelton Sr., Wendell Shelton Jr..  Welcome to the Kings Mountain Chapter of the TNSSAR.

Meeting - John S. Taylor "Some East Tennessee Taylor's were Famous. Others Decided to Work"

John S. Taylor, a Jonesborough attorney licensed for 44 years, earned his B.A. degree from Vanderbilt University in 1978. He recently shared a fascinating presentation on the history of the Taylor family in East Tennessee.

Mr. Taylor traced his family’s deep roots in the region, beginning with their role in the Watauga Association, one of the earliest experiments in self-government on the American frontier. He also highlighted the distinguished career of his grandfather, Alfred A. Taylor, who served as Governor of Tennessee from 1921 to 1923 and earlier represented the state in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1889 to 1895.

The program provided valuable insight into how the Taylor family contributed to both local and state history, blending personal family stories with significant moments in Tennessee’s political and civic development.

Crockett Days Festival at Doak House Museum

 

Pictured L-R:  Tim Massey (President of Watagua SAR Chapter), Ben Stonecypher (VP TNSSAR and President of Kings Mtn. SAR Chapter), Rob Richmond (TNSSAR Registrar) and Bob Waugh.
The annual Crockett Days Festival, honoring frontiersman David Crockett, was held Saturday and Sunday, August 9–10, at the Doak House Museum on Tusculum University’s campus. Normally hosted at David Crockett Birthplace State Park, the event was relocated due to damage from Hurricane Helene in 2024.