South Boston exhibit revisits history

By Bernard Baker

Published: July 26, 2008

It took nearly five years to pull off, but a Revolutionary War exhibit at The Prizery is expected to boost tourism and tell an important chapter of regional history.

About 200 people showed up Saturday to view the large panels that provide information on the Southern Campaign during the Revolutionary War and Gen. Nathanael Greene’s Crossing of the Dan on Feb. 14, 1781.

The exhibit boasts life-sized models of Greene and Col. Edward Carrington, who helped the troops cross the Dan River. Two armed British and American soldiers stand across the hall staring down at each other. Huge colorful panels interpret the Southern Campaign but focus on Greene’s crossing.

Barbara Bass, one of the exhibit organizers, would like to see a link of the Crossing of the Dan exhibit with Red Hill Patrick Henry National Memorial, the Battle of Guilford Courthouse and other North Carolina Revolutionary sites.

“Sometimes we weren’t sure, but everything fell into place,” Bass said.

U.S. Rep. Virgil Goode wrote a forward to Larry Aaron’s book about this chapter in the American Revolutionary War and has supported the project from its beginning. He also presented a $220,000 check to help promote the site. He said the campaign deserves national recognition because victory at Yorktown would not have happened without the crossing.

South Boston Mayor Carroll Thackston called the Crossing of the Dan exhibit another milestone for the town. He believes it will serve as a boost to local tourism.

Greene’s Crossing of the Dan is just now coming to national recognition and not only by major historians. The National Park Service in a recent report to Congress recommended the Race to the Dan as a top priority for further consideration and emphasis as a major Revolutionary War event.

Contact staff writer Bernard Baker at or at (434) 791-7986.