Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park is located along the Watauga River in Elizabethton, Tennessee, on the land where many significant historical events happened during the late 18th century. As many settlers arrived at the settlement, its leaders declared themselves “the first free and independent community on the continent” in 1772. Fort Watauga (also known as Fort Caswell) was built to protect settlers from Cherokee Indian attacks. Sycamore Shoals is where the transaction for the Transylvania Purchase took place on March 14, 1775, when Judge Richard Henderson met with Cherokee representatives. In 1780, the Overmountain Men used Fort Watauga as their first muster site. The Overmountain Men defeated British Major Patrick Ferguson during the Battle of King’s Mountain. Many historians believe this was a vital part of the Revolutionary War that saved America from British rule.