GREENSBORO, N.C. - Guilford Courthouse National Military Park invites the public to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the nation's independence with programs throughout the park on July 4.

"The park preserves the location of the most hotly contested battle of the Revolutionary War's climactic Southern Campaign," said Superintendent Aaron LaRocca. "As the first Revolutionary War battlefield preserved by the federal government, Guilford Courthouse offers a meaningful setting to celebrate and commemorate this historic 4th of July with your friends and family."

Connect with the spirit of independence through performances by the Carolina Colonial Dancers and interactive ranger-led programs: Divided Loyalties, Battlefield Archeology and Revolutionary Pensions.

The Carolina Colonial Dancers will perform and invite guests to join them in learning dances in the Visitor Center at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

Ranger-led activities will occur outside near the Visitor Center from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. These activities will include the following:

• Park visitors can step into the shoes of men and women who lived through the Revolution and use facts about their lives to determine whether they supported independence or loyalty to Great Britain.

• Using primary sources and archeological evidence, try to match your evidence with the correct battlefield locations and learn how historians and archeologists have interpreted the battle of Guilford Courthouse.

• Park volunteers have transcribed all 2,000 pension applications of veterans of the battle. Read excerpts of these documents, listing the service history and family background of veterans, and learn how veterans and their survivors applied for pensions. Using the evidence, determine whether the veteran received their pension.

Find additional program information through the park calendar. All programs are free, and visitors do not need reservations.

www.nps.gov

About Guilford Courthouse National Military Park: Established in 1917, Guilford Courthouse National Military Park was the first Revolutionary War site designated by the federal government. An important historic and community asset in Greensboro, North Carolina, the park includes a collection of sites with a rich history related to the largest, most hotly contested battle of the Revolutionary War's climactic Southern Campaign. Today, the park protects 255 acres of the approximately 1,000 acres of the actual battlefield.