Road to Revolution: Exploring the People, Places, and Events of Tryon County, 1763-1776

What was life like on the New York frontier in the years leading up to the American Revolution? White settlers who made homes in the Mohawk Valley in the mid-18th century were rewarded with fertile farmland, but life on the “frontier” was not a bucolic idyll. Rural life was physically demanding. European encroachment on native land and discontentment with British policy contributed to the tension and sometimes resulted in violence. During periods of unrest, the settlements on the borders were the most exposed to raids and destruction.

Join FCHS Executive Director Samantha Hall-Saladino as we consider the experiences of the various groups of people living in Tryon County. From the Haudenosaunee who had to weigh the consequences of supporting a side or remaining neutral, to enslaved Africans who heard calls for liberty while they had little recourse for their own, to farmers, merchants, families, soldiers, and everyone in between — war loomed on the horizon. What would the coming years bring?