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American Revolution began 249 years ago: Here are 5 overlooked tourist spots on fight for independence
The grand events and oft-told tales of the American Revolution are easy to find among sprawling reverent battlefields and national parks.
George Washington’s Mount Vernon in Virginia, Independence Hall in Pennsylvania, and Minuteman National Historical Park in Massachusetts, where the American rebellion exploded into deadly revolution 249 years ago today, April 19, 1775, top any list of highlights in the nation’s fight for independence.
But historical secrets, haunting reminders and the lingering traces of legend help tell a complete story of any event, even one as long and deeply chronicled as the American Revolution.
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Here are 5 often overlooked locations that helped pave the way for American independence.
1. Bayley-Hazen Military Road, Vermont
Colonial troops invaded Quebec, Canada in the first winter of the American Revolution, with Benedict Arnold among its leaders.
Hundreds of his men died on the rough journey through the frozen New England wilderness.
A new road was needed to bring men and supplies to Canada – a mission that ultimately failed.
The Bayley Hazen Road in Vermont was conceived to deliver supplies to American troops fighting in Quebec in the American Revolution. It was never completed. Remnants of the road today offer haunting reminders of the fight for American independence. Sign in Peacham, Vermont. (Kindra Clineff/Alamy Stock Photo)
“Proposed and started in 1776 by Colonel Jacob Bayley, continued in 1779 and later abandoned by General Moses Hazen, the road — and what remains of it — extends from Wells River in a northwesterly direction to what is now known as Hazen’s Notch,” reports the website CrossVermont.org.
“Small details, historical markers, grave sites and monuments that still recall the events of long ago may escape the eye when barreling along in a car.”
The warpath carves a lane through some of the most rural parts of the Lower 48 states. It is best explored by bicycle, the website adds.
“Small details, historical markers, grave sites and monuments that still recall the events of long ago may escape the eye when barreling along in a car but will not be missed by bike.”
2. French Cemetery, Yorktown, Virginia
Fifty unknown soldiers of France who gave their lives for the cause of American liberté are buried near this Yorktown battlefield.
Among other lessons, the graves are reminders of 50 French mothers — 50 French families — who never knew the fate of their son, father or brother when he shipped overseas to fight the British in North America.
This is the French Cemetery where 50 French soldiers who lost their lives in the Siege of Yorktown, 1781, are buried. Colonial National Historical Park, Historical Triangle, Virginia. (Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
The 50 unknowns represent the 8,000-10,000 Frenchmen who fought at Yorktown, the final American victory in the war that forged the new United States.
Those thousands of men, supported by 29 French warships, and paired with years of American resolve, forced the British to surrender and admit defeat at Yorktown in October 1781.
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Several other historical markers are within walking distance, including those for French Artillery Park and Washington’s headquarters, and a tribute to the leading French military officer in Virginia, Comte de Rochambeau.
3. Nathan Hale execution site, Manhattan, New York
“I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country,” Hale, just 21, reportedly uttered with stiff lip as he was hanged by the British for treason on Sept. 22, 1776 in Manhattan.
Dense urban development paved over the actual site of Hale’s death, but a bronze plaque visible from the sidewalk offers the only reminder of this seminal moment in patriotic defiance.
It’s located on Third Avenue, between East 65th and East 66th Streets, on the Upper East Side.
American patriot Nathan Hale reportedly uttered, “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country,” before the captured spy was hanged by the British on Sept. 22, 1776 in Manhattan. (Kerry J. Byrne/Fox News Digital)
Little more than a photo-op stop, it offers an opportunity to explore some of the other interesting Revolutionary War sites in Manhattan — which was occupied by the British throughout most of the war.
Those interesting sites include the Alexander Hamilton Grange, a farmhouse in the middle of the city’s concrete caverns that the Founding Father built just before he was killed in a duel with Vice President Aaron Burr.
“I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.”
Also, Fraunces Tavern is where George Washington delivered his farewell speech to his officers after the British final left New York City.
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It’s a real tavern today that doubles as a museum of early American history.
4. Prison Ship Martyrs Monument, Brooklyn, New York
This powerful monument in a verdant park offers chilling testimony that American independence was purchased by patriots at the price of hideous human suffering.
The 150-foot-tall Doric column at Fort Greene Park towers over the footprint of a colonial garrison of the American Revolution.
The Prison Ship Martyrs Monument in Brooklyn was dedicated on Nov. 14, 1908 in a ceremony attended by President William Howard Taft. (Kerry J. Byrne/Fox News Digital)
It’s dedicated to the estimated 11,500 American soldiers, sailors and privateers who died in hellish conditions aboard British prison ships on the nearby East River during the fight for nationhood.
A number of these patriots are buried in a crypt beneath the monument — the identities of many known only to God.
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“This is hallowed ground,” Brooklyn native and self-professed patriot Eddie Desmond told Fox News Digital.
“This is America’s original tomb of the unknown soldiers.”
5. Swamp Fox statue/Marion County Museum
Francis Marion, the legendary “Swamp Fox” of South Carolina, has fueled legend and tributes for nearly 250 years.
Most notably in recent times, he’s among the inspirations for the movie “The Patriot.” Mel Gibson plays the role of a colonial American father who fights the British from the misty swamps of the American south.
Illustration of Francis Marion (1730s-1795), an American military officer nicknamed the Swamp Fox, seated, greets a British officer, mid-to-late 18th century. (Stock Montage/Getty Images)
“Using tactics he learned from the Cherokee during his time as a soldier in the French and Indian War 20 years prior, Marion and his men outwitted countless British troops right from the swamps along the Pee Dee and Santee Rivers,” reports the website of the Pee Dee Tourism Commission.
The best place to get a picture of the man behind the legend is at the museum of the South Carolina county that bears his name.
The Marion County Museum includes a permanent exhibit of the Swamp Fox, while the highlight of a visit for many is a photo with the nearby larger-than-life statue of the American war hero.
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Alleged criminal history of missing mom found after 24 years catches up with her
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A North Carolina woman whose disappearance in 2001 triggered a 24-year search is now facing criminal charges from the year she vanished.
Michele Hundley Smith, now 63, was located Feb. 20 at an undisclosed location within North Carolina after detectives received new information about her case, the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office said.
Smith was 38 when her husband reported that she left their Eden home Dec. 9, 2001, to go Christmas shopping in Martinsville, Virginia, and never returned. Her vehicle was never found.
An extensive investigation followed, and, despite years of investigative work, her whereabouts remained unknown until last week.
The 63-year-old woman posted $2,000 bond on a failure to appear charge related to a DWI from the month before she vanished for 24 years. (Robeson County Sheriff’s Office)
Authorities said Smith told investigators she left on her own accord and referenced “domestic issues.”
Sheriff Sam Page told Fox News Digital the sheriff’s office had no prior record of domestic incidents at the home. No criminal charges are expected in her disappearance. However, following her identification, investigators discovered an outstanding order for arrest dating back to 2001.
A missing persons flyer circulated at the time of Michele Hundely Smith’s disappearance in December 2001. (Bring Michele Hundely Smith Home/Facebook)
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In a statement, the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office said that, after consultation with the District Attorney’s Office and further investigation, authorities identified an outstanding order for arrest for Smith for failure to appear.
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The order stemmed from a DWI charge issued by the Eden Police Department Nov. 11, 2001. Smith failed to appear in court Dec. 27, 2001, for that charge, the statement said.
On Feb. 25, 2026, Smith was taken into custody by the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office at the request of Rockingham County authorities. She later posted a $2,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Rockingham County District Court March 26, 2026.
A missing mom found alive after 23 years reveals she left due to domestic issues. (Bring Michele Hundely Smith Home/Facebook)
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On Thursday, the New York Post reported it had located Smith in a trailer in a rural community near the South Carolina state line. Smith told the outlet she is trying to make amends with her daughter and the family she walked out on decades ago.
“My daughter is forgiving me. We are in contact, so leave me alone,” she told the outlet.
Smith’s neighbors said she had “been here for years and years” and mostly keeps to herself.
“We asked why she didn’t come out of the house much, and she said her husband passed. He passed last year. … She was really sad about it. She said she was depressed and stayed inside,” the neighbor said.
Michele Hundely Smith disappeared after leaving her home in North Carolina to go Christmas shopping in Virginia in December 2001. (Bring Michele Hundely Smith Home/Facebook)
In a 2018 interview on “The Vanished Podcast,” her daughter, Amanda Hundley, said her mother’s marriage was unraveling under the weight of alcohol abuse, infidelity and escalating marital arguments.
Smith had recently lost her job at a veterinary practice after being fired for drinking on the job, Hundley said.
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“My dad didn’t like the fact that my mom hid her drinking. I knew about it, and I was the only one. And I felt, you know, I was young, and I felt obligated not to say anything to betray my mom,” Hundley said on the podcast.
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According to Hundley, her father suspected the drinking but did not fully understand the extent of it until after Smith vanished.
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“He said, ‘Do you know where she kept the bottles at?’ And I showed them we had a little red building outside, and it was full of rum bottles, the empties, the ones that she had already drunk,” recalled Hundley, who was 14 at the time.
The couple’s relationship had also deteriorated. Hundley said both her parents had affairs during the marriage. She described frequent arguments that “got physical a few times.”
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Atlanta-area police blast parents over vodka martini packed in school lunch: ‘That is NOT apple juice’
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An Atlanta-area police department issued a blunt notice to parents after officers claimed a child brought a vodka-based beverage to school — tucked beside Doritos in a packed lunch.
The City of South Fulton Police Department sounded off about the incident in a now-viral Facebook post, warning parents to “CHECK. THE. LUNCHBOX.”
“Say Twin… Before you send them babies off to school… CHECK. THE. LUNCHBOX. Because why are we getting reports of juice boxes sitting next to… Cutwater margaritas??” the department wrote.
Officials also shared a photo of the alleged lunchbox, containing what appears to be a child’s lunch, Doritos and a Cutwater Lemon Drop Martini.
The police department shared a photo of a Cutwater canned cocktail in a lunchbox. (City of South Fulton Police Department via Facebook)
“That is NOT Capri Sun. That is NOT Apple Juice. That is a whole ‘Parent had a long night’ starter pack,” the department wrote. “Now little Johnny done pulled up to 3rd period talking about: ‘Who want fruit snacks?’ knowing good and well he got a Lemon Drop Martini in the zipper pocket.”
Cutwater Lemon Drop Martinis, as found in the lunchbox, are 11% ABV ready-to-drink cocktails made with vodka, triple sec, lemon juice and natural flavors.
They come in 12-ounce cans, similar in appearance to a soda can.
The City of South Fulton Police Department issued a statement after the apparent mishap. (City of South Fulton Police Department via Facebook)
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The department said it understands mornings can be hectic, but issued a stern notice to parents to “TIGHTEN UP.”
“Your child shouldn’t be the only one in the cafeteria with a beverage that requires an ID,” authorities wrote. “If it says 12% ABV… it does NOT belong next to a PB&J.”
Officials also provided a “quick parent checklist,” with items including: “Homework,” “Lunch packed,” and “Alcoholic beverages.”
Boxes of Cutwater Tiki Rum Mai Tai and Strawberry Margarita canned cocktails. (Gado/Getty Images)
“Check the lunchbox before the Fulton County Schools Police resource officers gotta do inventory at recess,” the department added.
It is unclear if any parents or students were disciplined in relation to the mix-up.
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Fulton County Schools did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
The City of South Fulton, Georgia, is a rapidly growing municipality located about 20 minutes from Atlanta and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
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Federal prosecutor admits ‘extraordinary’ timing in Abrego Garcia smuggling case charges
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A federal prosecutor acknowledged Thursday that the decision to charge Salvadoran migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia two years after a routine traffic stop was “extraordinary” while defending the human smuggling case as legally justified.
Abrego Garcia, 31, has become a flash point in the national immigration debate since last March, when he was deported to El Salvador in violation of a 2019 court order in what Trump administration officials acknowledged was an “administrative error.”
The Supreme Court later ruled that the administration had to work to bring him back to the U.S.
After returning in June, Abrego Garcia was taken into federal custody in Nashville and detained on human smuggling charges stemming from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee.
He has pleaded not guilty and is seeking dismissal of the charges on the grounds of vindictive and selective prosecution.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia and his wife Jennifer Vasquez Sura, left, are accompanied by Lydia Walther-Rodriguez, right, of We Are Casa, as they leave the federal courthouse, Thursday, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
A 2019 court order prevents Abrego Garcia from being deported to El Salvador after an immigration judge determined he faced danger from a gang that had threatened his family. He immigrated to the U.S. illegally as a teenager and has been under the supervision of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Abrego Garcia was accused in court records of repeated domestic violence against his wife, who alleged multiple incidents of physical abuse in protective order filings. She later withdrew the protective order request and has defended her husband publicly.
The Department of Homeland Security has also said he was living in the U.S. illegally and has alleged ties to MS-13, disputing portrayals of him as simply a “Maryland man.” His attorneys have denied the gang allegations.
Tennessee Highway Patrol body camera footage from when Abrego Garcia was pulled over for speeding shows a calm exchange with officers. While officers discussed suspicions of smuggling among themselves — noting there were nine passengers in the vehicle — Abrego Garcia was issued only a warning.
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A woman holds a sign in support of Kilmar Abrego Garcia in front of the U.S. District Court in Nashville. (Getty Images )
First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee Rob McGuire, who was acting U.S. attorney in April 2025, testified Thursday that his decision to charge Abrego Garcia was based on the evidence.
“I had previously prosecuted several human smuggling cases,” McGuire said, noting that after seeing video of the traffic stop, “I was immediately struck by how similar what was being depicted in the body cam was to those investigations.”
McGuire said Abrego Garcia’s vehicle belonged to someone with “a human smuggling background” and added that the route was “suspicious.”
“It was a large number of individuals traveling in one SUV with a driver who spoke for the group. No one had luggage… the car had Texas plates… the route was suspicious,” McGuire said.
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Kilmar Abrego Garcia arrived at the federal courthouse, Thursday, for a hearing on whether the charges against him should be dismissed. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
During cross-examination, McGuire acknowledged that the timing of the charges, coming so long after the traffic stop, was “extraordinary.”
He said he had not previously been aware of the traffic stop but reiterated that nobody in the Trump administration, including the White House or the Department of Justice, pressured him to seek the indictment.
When asked about whether he might have felt pressure to prosecute the case, McGuire said, “I’m not going to do something that is wrong to keep my job.”
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Kilmar Abrego Garcia, right, and his brother Cesar Abrego Garcia, center, arrive at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Baltimore, Aug. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
McGuire also said timing factored into charging Abrego Garcia since he was being held in El Salvador, and he did not want the indictment to go public before all senior officials were briefed on the matter.
“I knew from the get-go that this was going to be a controversial matter,” McGuire said.
U.S. District Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw did not make a ruling Thursday and said he would wait to receive post-hearing briefs from attorneys by March 5 before determining whether another hearing is necessary.
Crenshaw previously found some evidence that the prosecution “may be vindictive” and that prior statements by Trump administration officials “raise cause for concern.”
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Thursday’s court appearance came after a federal judge blocked the Trump administration from re-arresting Abrego Garcia into federal immigration custody on Feb. 17.
Fox News Digital’s Breanne Deppisch, Jake Gibson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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