Welcome to the Crossroads of America, where the future meets the past and the swamps of southeastern North Carolina and northeastern South Carolina hold the blood and history of America's first civil war, the Revolutionary War in the Colonial south. This land is where neighbor fought neighbor, patriot against Tory, traitor against loyalist, and where the Swamp Fox, Francis Marion, the father of guerilla warfare, raided and harassed British General Cornwallis, ultimately leading to his defeat at Yorktown.

According to documented Lumbee oral tradition, Lumbee Indians served as guides and fought alongside the Swamp Fox against the British. The Lumbee were also masters of guerilla warfare, making them the grandfather of American guerilla warfare.

Welcome to the land where ancient trading routes crossed, leading from the Atlantic to the Gulf of Mexico or from the mountains down to the sea. It is where refugees from Indian tribes, who were traditionally enemies, joined forces and took in runaway slaves and whites. It is the land where the descendant of French religious refugees, Francis Marion, also found sanctuary.

The Lumbee, a distinct Native American ethnic group of southeastern North Carolina, numbering around 60,000, are primarily located in Robeson County, NC. The Lumbee tribe is the largest Native American tribe east of the Mississippi River with 53,800 enrolled members, making them the ninth-largest tribe in the United States [2].

As Malinda Maynor Lowery, a Lumbee herself, describes in her book Lumbee Indians in the Jim Crow South: Race, Identity, and the Making of a Nation, between Reconstruction and the 1950s, the Lumbee crafted and adapted to segregation [1]. The Lumbee's history includes successful guerilla warfare against the Confederacy and the production of a teenage Robin Hood, Henry Berry Lowrie, who in his day was maybe better known nationally than Jesse James [1].

Welcome to Lumbee Legacy, a project that seeks to honor and preserve the rich history of the Lumbee people. Let us explore the legacy of this tribe and learn about their struggles and triumphs throughout history. The Lumbee have left an indelible mark on the land they call home, and their contributions to American history cannot be overlooked. Join us as we celebrate the Lumbee and their legacy at the Crossroads of America.

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