Historic Cowpens Geotrail: Lest We Forget

I can't imagine a better weekend to cache the HCG than Memorial Day weekend.  Everywhere you turn in this town, you are reminded of those who gave their lives and their service to keep our country free.

One of the caches on the tour led us to the Veterans Memorial Park where we paused for a few moments to pay our respects and appreciate the view.  The Memorial Park was created to honor the men and women of all branches of the armed forces and the stone monuments are inscribed with the names of those from the area who have served our country.

 The cache located here is a fun little one to find and we had the pleasure of meeting two fellow cachers, TheMagish and Sorcerr, whom we had been just a few minutes behind of for almost the entire time.  They had traveled up all the way from Georgia and were having just as much fun as we were on the trail that day!




Behind the park you will find another marker of local history at the Cowpens Depot and Museum, where the emphasis is aimed toward its WWII naval history.

Some of the most fascinating reminders of the town's patriotic history are the painted murals located throughout the town. 

Following the caching route will take you to one very impressive mural designed to commemorate the first and second USS Cowpens naval ships.

The first USS Cowpens, "The Mighty Moo" was a WWII aircraft carrier and was launched on January 17, 1943.  George Dean Martin, owner of a drugstore in Cowpens, wrote to President Franklin D Roosevelt suggesting that an aircraft carrier be named for the nearby famous Revolutionary War battle, Cowpens.   In those days, carriers were named for battles, so the ship was named USS Cowpens.

The second USS Cowpens, also known as “The Thundering Herd”, the USS Cowpens is one of Seventh Fleet’s finest ships and the epitome of the best of the 21st century United States Navy. The USS Cowpens is currently assigned to the naval force in Yokosuka, Japan and part of the USS George Washington Battle Group.




One of my favorite memorials to the town's military past was this mural painted on a building downtown.  I do not know why, but I just found it absolutely entertaining the way the artist painted individual militia men in each window!


Cowpens truly does their best to remember and honor their past and there is no denying that it only adds to their charm and appeal!