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Liberty! will debut Friday for its 46th season at Sycamore Shoals State Park in Elizabethton. The drama, which first debuted as The Wataugan, will be presented each weekend in June at the Fort Watauga Amphitheater at Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park.

We often refer to Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park as the place where “our heritage comes to life,” and that it does! Thanks to a host of volunteers who love to share our remarkable history, the park is able to present educational family programs throughout the year, the highlight of which is the drama Liberty!

Elizabethton — this is where freedom began. The theme that draws us all together is the history of Sycamore Shoals, a place so important that it was an integral component of the growth of the fledgling nation in the late 18th century.

Along the Watauga Old Fields, the first democratic government on this continent came to pass — the Watauga Association in 1772. It is impressive knowing these early settlers developed a plan for law and order on the frontier, coupled with the concept that “every free man would have a vote.” Their rules and regulations came to pass four years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

The Transylvania Purchase, deemed the largest private real estate transaction on this continent, between the Cherokee and Judge Richard Henderson, took place on the grounds of Sycamore Shoals in 1775. By 1776, Fort Watauga was constructed to protect the settlement from Cherokee attack as they resisted the influx of settlers to their lands.

Sycamore Shoals is also well known for the muster of the Overmountain Men in 1780 during the American Revolution. From Sycamore Shoals, a militia moved forth in search of British Maj. Patrick Ferguson, in response to his threat to destroy their homes west of the mountains. Their successful defeat of Ferguson at Kings Mountain was deemed by many historians an event that ultimately “turned the tide of the American Revolution.”

So much history occurred in Elizabethton along the banks of the Watauga River. Set in the 1770s, Liberty! relates the good times and the sad times, the struggles and the sacrifices — of families who were willing to take incredible risks to create a democratic society against a multitude of obstacles. Leaving the comforts of home, long hunters and then families began leaving the 13 English colonies to begin a new life, free of the rule of the British king. They crossed over the mountains beyond the Proclamation Line of 1763, discovering land that was cleared, yet uninhabited. The “Old Fields” of the Watauga quickly became the heart of frontier settlements on land belonging to the Cherokee.

We live in one of the most historical areas of America, and we celebrate the most important gift of freedom that was fought for and won by the Overmountain Men, along with many more Americans who participated in the Boston Tea Party, the Battle of Lexington and Concord, the Battle of Yorktown, the Boston Massacre and the Battle of Bunker Hill.

Sycamore Shoals is sacred ground. Here, the likes of William Campbell, Isaac Shelby, John Sevier, John Carter, James Robertson and a militia composed of citizens began their march to Kings Mountain, where they fought and defeated a Loyalist army. The muster of the Overmountain Men at Sycamore Shoals was one of the more significant events associated with Sycamore Shoals.

Sycamore Shoals has a sacred place in our nation’s history. And, as a tribute to these early Americans, we urge you to attend this year’s drama and refresh your memories of early Elizabethton history.