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Bessemer City, NC (WNN)—On Saturday, August 16, 2025, a standing-room-only crowd of community members, local leaders, and descendants of the signers gathered at the Tryonota Volunteer Fire Department to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Tryon Resolves. This 1775 declaration played a crucial role in the fight against British rule. Millicent Heavner, Regent, Tryon Resolves NCSDAR (The North Carolina Society Daughters of the American Revolution), welcomed and introduced guests for the event. The NCSDAR and NCSSAR (The North Carolina Society Sons of the American Revolution) helped facilitate the 250th Anniversary Tryon Resolves celebration.
Reenactors fire their muskets directly in front of the Tryon Resolves Signers historical marker- August 16th, 2025
William Phillips (WNN)
The Tryon Resolves was a document declaring that the people would fight against unfair treatment from the British. Tryon County was named for William Tryon, the fourth royal governor of North Carolina. The county was formed in 1768 to organize the area in western North Carolina between Mecklenburg County and Native American territory in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
The Tryon Resolves was signed on August 14, 1775, by 49 residents from Tryon County, a large area that included what we know today as Gaston, Lincoln, Cleveland, Rutherford, and parts of Polk, Burke, and McDowell counties. Those who signed it pledged to 'take up arms and risk their lives to defend their freedom'.
Although this document did not declare independence from Great Britain, it came almost a year before the Declaration of Independence.
The anniversary ceremony dramatized the 1775 meeting at Christian Mauney's home, where the Resolves were adopted. The home was determined to be near the center of the county and was designated as the courthouse. The site is located approximately four miles southeast of Cherryville on Tryon Courthouse Road.
Reenactors- Stephen McKee as Robert Alexander; Robert Ryals as Christian Carpenter; Roy Lightfoot as Valentine Mauney; Jeff Elmore as Jacob Costner; Jeremy Homesley as Frederick Hambright, and Tony Zeiss as Moses Moore portrayed settlers debating the risks of standing against the Crown, quoting biblical passages and voicing fears of losing land or lives. The performance narrated by Lynne Smith ended with the symbolic signing of the document, echoing the moment local farmers and tradesmen first took their stand.
After the inside portion of the event, guests followed the SAR (Sons of the American Revolution) Recessional, which included the NCSSAR color guard and patriot music from the Guilford Courthouse Fife & Drum Corps. The processional ended at the granite Tryon County Resolves monument and marker adjacent to the Tryonota Fire Department located at 2577 Tryon Courthouse Rd.
Many, including Stephen McKee, the North Carolina Society President of the Sons of the American Revolution, were surprised by the large crowd.
"Normally, this is a pretty small event," McKee said. "It's really good seeing over 100 people here in attendance to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Tryon Resolves." McKee added that it "warms my heart" to see that patriotism is still alive in the United States.
For public historian and reenactor Robert Ryals, the fulfillment comes from educating the public.
"The number one thing is when you're engaging with the public, with children, with adults who have no to little exposure about the Revolutionary War," Ryals said. "For them to be enlightened and to have an understanding of the significance of those events to their communities, and how those events during the war essentially shaped who we are now and our identity as Americans."
Jeremy Homesley, the artistic director of Liberty Mountain, a revolutionary drama in Kings Mountain, spoke about the historic play.
"Liberty Mountain, the revolutionary drama. We've been performing in the fall. We start up on September 19, which is our opening. One of our big things this year is offering field trips to school groups. We have over 300 or 400 students already signed up right now to come see Liberty Mountain as part of a field trip for their school group."
Lynne Smith, a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and a reenactor with the Kingsbury Artillery, said reenactors in the South stay very busy, with some groups participating in up to four reenactments a month.
Tryon Resolves 250th Anniversary Copy
According to Stephen McKee, the attendance was a sign of growing interest in local Revolutionary-era history.
"It warms my heart to see this many people," McKee said. "We're overflowing into the kitchen area in the back. This is a wonderful thing to see ordinary Americans, everyday Americans here to celebrate a seminal event in North Carolina's revolutionary history."
North Carolina Society President of the Sons of the American Revolution Stephen McKee speaking to the crowd at Tryonota Fire Department- August 16th, 2025
William Phillips (WNN)
U.S. Congressman Tim Moore connected his family history to those brave patriots who battled at Kings Mountain, highlighting the bravery of the original signers.
"These men, by signing this document, literally were risking their lives," Moore said. "Had the war gone differently, a lot of us in this room wouldn't be here now. I think the weight of that is something that we ought to consider."
Moore also reflected on his own family history and a sense of responsibility to promote the story of the Tryon Resolves so it continues to be told.
"These kinds of moments, this bravery, these actions are the acts that led to our nation’s declaration of independence," Moore said. "And I think it's an amazing thing that we're here to recognize and to honor this."
1775 Map of North Carolina with Tryon County in the lower left
D Corbitt
Family members and guests signed a commemorative 250th anniversary copy of the Resolves, promising to stand by the values of liberty and unity that those who signed it fought for.
This act tied the past to the present and showed that the ideas in the Resolves are still important today. Signing it was a way for everyone to publicly express their dedication to keeping the historical legacy of the Tryon Resolves alive for future generations.
The full WNN video article on the Tryon Resolves 250 Celebration, with interviews, will be out next. Stay tuned for more.
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