White Oak Golf & Equestrian Community in the Green Creek area will be receiving the National Park Service&39;s Certificate of Achievement award for its dedication and preservation efforts of the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail (OVNHT).

The award presentation is set to take place on October 7 at 3 p.m. at Kings Mountain National Military Park in South Carolina.

The National Park Service&squo;s Certificate of Achievement is specific to the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail and is awarded annually. White Oak was chosen as a result of the developers&squo; commitment to preserving and incorporating a section of the trail into the community. The section of the trail that runs through White Oak is also designated as a part of the community&squo;s nature trail, an amenity that is mentioned frequently in White Oak&squo;s marketing efforts.

&dquo;One of the main reasons that White Oak stood out was because of the way the developers of the community incorporated this piece of history into a focal point of the area,&dquo; stated Paul Carson, superintendent of the OVNHT.

It was 228 years ago when some 1,800 men rode an 18-mile route through what is today Polk County. The Patriot militiamen were pursuing Major Patrick Ferguson and his Tory army. Leaving a campsite along the Green River to ride 58 miles in 30 hours, the &dquo;Overmountain Men&dquo; finally found and engaged Ferguson on the afternoon of October 7th atop King&squo;s Mountain in South Carolina. When the battle ended, every Tory soldier had been killed or captured. The battle became known as the turning point of the Revolutionary War.

The Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail is a 330-mile trail beginning in Abington, Va., and Elkin, N.C. that winds through portions of Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina. It traces the route of the Patriot Militia as it tracked the British, culminating with the Battle of Kings Mountain in October of 1780. The trail was the first national historic trail east of the Mississippi River, authorized by Congress in 1980.

Each fall, in commemoration of the campaign to King&squo;s Mountain, re-enactors from the Overmountain Victory Trail Association retrace the entire 330 miles over a two-week period. This year as a part of the festivities, White Oak will be receiving its NPS Certificate of Achievement award in a ceremony to take place at Kings Mountain National Military Park.

For more information on the OVNHT visit www.nps.gov/ovvi.&bsp; For more information about White Oak Golf & Equestrian Community visit www.whiteoaktryon.com.

White Oak Golf & Equestrian Community winds through 1,100 acres of Blue Ridge Mountain foothills. It offers