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Cowpens, South Carolina
Population: 2,279
Located in Spartanburg County
Cowpens was founded near the site of a battle fought during the Revolutionary War on January 17, 1781. Continental Army troops and colonial militia under Brigadier General Daniel Morgan decisively defeated a crack British force - known as the Black Legion - under LT Colonel Banastre Tarleton. The battle draws its name from its site, pastureland and cow pens, known then as Hannah's Cowpens, used by frontier farmers in northwestern South Carolina.
Military historians regard Cowpens as one of the most brilliant tactical operations ever fought on American soil. The British losses were staggering: 110 dead, over 200 wounded and 500 captured.
The original battle site is now the Cowpens National Battlefield. The one and one-quarter acre park was established by Congress on March 4, 1929 under the control of the War Department. The National Park Service assumed control on August 10, 1933. In 1981 the site was increased to 842 acres in size and the NPS spent approximately $5 million to develop and restore the park.
In 1976, the Cowpens Bicentennial Committee decided that the next town festival would be called the Mighty Moo Festival, in honor of former crewmen of the USS Cowpens WWII aircraft carrier. On July 2, 1977, one crewman, Mr. O.J. Simpson of Charleston (SC), attended that festival.
By 1982, the number of former crewmen attending the festival had risen to over 115. The festival has since become an annual event, with street dances, golf, pageants, baseball games, reunions, and a parade that honors the former crewmen.
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