Submitted photo Visitors to Randolph County read about the Hart Farm on top of Rich Mountain Battlefield, where, in 1861, Confederate troops occupied the Joseph Hart family farm until Union troops arrived on July 11.

BEVERLY — The Rich Mountain Battlefield Foundation will celebrate the 165th anniversary of the Battle of Rich Mountain with special tours, entertainment, a dinner and more.

One week after the the nation celebrates the 250th anniversary of America’s founding, Randolph County will be celebrating a milestone of its own with the 165th anniversary of the Battle of Rich Mountain. On Saturday, July 11, the Rich Mountain Battlefield Foundation will be offering free tours and live music to mark the special anniversary.

At 2:30 p.m. on July 11, West Virginia historians Hunter Lesser and Richard Wolfe will lead a walking tour of the battlefield. Beginning at the top of the mountain, the tour includes a look into the new trail leading to Lander’s Rock, a key location in the battle’s story.

Another tour will begin at 4 p.m. that Saturday with Jesse Dickens leading a tour of new interpretation on the Camp Garnett trail. The new interpretation leads past earthwork remnants of the Confederate camp at the western base of the mountain. A ribbon-cutting for the new interpretation will take place at the Field of Fire Pavilion entrance in Mabie.

At 5:30 pm, Andy FitzGibbon, Tom Hoffman and Rory Mullennex will play tunes at the Field of Fire Pavilion. During this, the Rich Mountain Battlefield Foundation will sell dinners consisting of smoked pork sandwiches and picnic sides. Profits from the dinner will go towards battlefield preservation.

“On July 11th of 1861, just seven days after the country celebrated its 85th Independence Day, a battle rocked Randolph County, Virginia,” the Rich Mountain Battlefield Foundation said in a press release announcing the celebratory activities. “Here was a threat that could tear the young country back apart. In the early hours of that morning, Union troops under General Rosecrans crept up a pathless route in the woods to the top of Rich Mountain where an outpost of Confederate troops occupied the Joseph Hart family farm.”

“22-year-old David Hart, his son, led the Union troops to his own front yard, where they surprised the Confederates, and ultimately defeated them. As the Union soldiers made their way into the county seat of Beverly, they gave the U.S. Army a foothold in Western Virginia, setting into motion a movement for creating a new state. 165 years later, 400 acres on top of Rich Mountain have been preserved for education and recreation so that the story of this Battle never dies.”

Rich Mountain Battlefield Foundation aims to preserve and protect the Rich Mountain Battlefield and related Civil War sites, and to preserve and interpret the Civil War heritage of West Virginia. Learn more at BeverlyHeritageCenter.Org/Events or call 304-637-7424 for more information.