FRIENDS OF MOORES CREEK BATTLEGROUND ASSOCIATION

CURRENT ANNOUNCEMENTS:

250th Anniversary of the Battle at Moores Creek Bridge
February 26–28, 2026

Join commemorations at Moores Creek National Battlefield honoring the 250th anniversary of the decisive Patriot victory in the American Revolution. Events include a wreath-laying ceremony, living history demonstrations, battle reenactments, colonial music, guided tours, and community activities. Learn more at the official National Park Service page.

NC First in Freedom Festival
February 21–28, 2026

A regional celebration of America’s 250th anniversary and eastern North Carolina’s historic role in the nation’s founding. This week-long festival will feature history programs, cultural exhibits, arts events, reenactments, and community activities across southeastern NC. Visit the festival site for event details and how to participate.

Why should you join and participate?

COMMUNITY

Be a part of something larger than yourself and work with like-minded people interested in preserving and supporting our history. Join the ranks of patriots in preserving and interpreting Moores Creek National Battlefield for future generations.

Purpose

The mission of Friends of Moores Creek Battleground is to commemorate and perpetuate the significance of the Battle of Moores Creek Bridge through public awareness, educational programs and events, promotion of patriotism, and support and partnership with the National Park Service.
MCBA was chartered in 1899, making it the oldest National Park support organization in the nation.

Preserving history

Help us to preserve history, promote, and celebrate this historically significant Revolutionary War Battleground National Park.
Moores Creek Battleground Association (MCBA) is a non-profit, membership-based organization that partners with the Moores Creek National Battlefield to support educational and historical programming at the park.

friends of moores creek battleground association

The Battle of Moores Creek Bridge, February 27th, 1776

The Battle of Moores Creek Bridge, fought between North Carolina Patriots and Loyalists to the British Crown, demonstrates the divisions that marked the American Revolution. The Loyalists, mostly Scottish Highlanders wielding broadswords, led a charge across a partially dismantled Moores Creek bridge.

Nearly a thousand North Carolina Patriots waited quietly with cannons and muskets poised to fire. Expecting to find only a small Patriot force, the Loyalists advanced across the bridge. Shots rang out! When the smoke cleared, some 30 to 70 Loyalists lay dead or wounded. Among the dead was Lt. Colonel Donald McLeod, who had led the fateful charge.

Stunned, outgunned and leaderless, some of the Loyalists surrendered, while others retreated in confusion. This victory spurred the creation of the Halifax Resolves on April 12, 1776, which instructed North Carolina’s delegates to the Continental Congress to vote for independence.

North Carolina was the first colony to do so. Less than three months later, the United States would ratify the Declaration of Independence.

Please use our Membership or Contact forms.
We are a 100% volunteer organization so please be patient!

What we offer

participation

reinactments

education

living history

Events

Special activities

history in motion

historical reenactments

In the early morning hours of February 27, 1776, Loyalist forces charged across a partially dismantled Moores Creek Bridge. Beyond the bridge, nearly 1,000 North Carolina Patriots waited quietly with cannons and muskets poised to fire. This battle marked the last broadsword charge by Scottish Highlanders and the first significant victory for the Patriots in the American Revolution.

MOORES CREEK NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD
40 Patriots Hall Dr.
Currie, NC 28435