New play centers Susannah Twitty and adds five Revolutionary War figures to Schafer Gallery

A new historical stage play about Susannah “Susan” Twitty will debut alongside five additions to the Schafer Gallery of Southern Revolutionary War Heroes and Sheroes, the American Revolutionary War Living History Center and the United States Presidential Service Center announced July 31. The project broadens the Revolutionary War story with Native, Black, Hispanic, Scottish-Irish and women’s histories tied to the South.

Why it matters: - The new play and gallery additions expand the public telling of the American Revolution beyond familiar battlefield leaders. - The project puts Susannah Twitty and other lesser-known figures into a shared stage-and-museum format designed to reach audiences through live performance. - The additions aim to show the Southern campaign as a multiethnic, multigenerational story shaped by women, Native nations, immigrants and militia leaders.

What happened: - The American Revolutionary War Living History Center, working with the United States Presidential Service Center, announced a new historical stage play by Martin CJ Mongiello focused on Susannah “Susan” Twitty. - The announcement was dated July 31, 2026, and was issued in Grover, North Carolina, with an August 3, 2026 release date. - The organizations also unveiled five additions to the Schafer Gallery of Southern Revolutionary War Heroes and Sheroes. - Each of the five figures will appear as a speaking character in the play, turning the production into what Mongiello described as a “living gallery.”

The details: - Twitty is remembered for actions during the September 1780 Loyalist attack on Graham’s Fort in present-day Grover, North Carolina. - Traditional accounts say Twitty pushed her brother from an attacker’s line of fire, urged defenders to return fire, and retrieved the fallen attacker’s firearm and ammunition during combat. - Regional accounts also remember Twitty as a sharpshooter and skilled bareback rider. - The five new Schafer Gallery additions are Colonel-Commandant William Graham, Brigadier General James Williams, Sally New River of the Catawba Nation, The Lady of Cofitachequi, and Major Jorge Antonio Ferragut Mesquida. - William Graham was a western North Carolina militia commander, colonel of the Tryon County Regiment and delegate to the Fifth Provincial Congress. - Graham’s fortified home became the site of the Battle of Graham’s Fort. - James Williams was a South Carolina militia commander mortally wounded at the Battle of King’s Mountain. - The National Park Service identifies Williams as the highest-ranked Patriot officer killed there. - Williams’ character will address sacrifice, regional military cooperation and the later murder of his sons Daniel and Joseph at the Hayes Station Massacre. - Sally New River was a granddaughter of King Hagler, a landholder and a community leader. - New River’s character will speak in Catawba and English about helping preserve her nation. - The Lady of Cofitachequi met Hernando de Soto in 1540. - Her inclusion broadens the story beyond the Revolution and highlights sovereign Native nations, established governments, trade networks and women holding political power before the United States. - Major Jorge Antonio Ferragut Mesquida was born on Menorca and later known as George Farragut. - Ferragut served the Patriot cause in the South Carolina Navy, endured British captivity, fought at Cowpens and Wilmington, and rose to major in North Carolina cavalry. - Mongiello said Southern history was shaped by Native nations, women, Patriots, Loyalists, immigrants and communities carrying the cost of conflict. - Mongiello also said the project is “not replacing one version of history with another” but opening space for more people who were actually there. - The announcement listed contributing sponsors including The Scotch-Irish Victory Center, Héroes en Combate por la Libertad Celebration Center, The British Legion, The Ishmael Titus Museum, The Asians of Independence 1776 Gallery, The Schafer Gallery, The American Sheroes Foundation of 1776 and the United States Presidential Culinary Museum. - The organizations said casting, performance dates, gallery unveilings, educational programming and venue information will be announced separately.

Between the lines: - The project is part historical commemoration, part public education strategy. - Putting the gallery additions into the script gives the production a built-in way to connect museum interpretation with live storytelling. - The framing suggests an effort to widen Revolutionary War memory without discarding traditional patriot narratives.

What's next: - The organizations will release casting, performance dates, gallery unveiling details, educational programming and venue information later. - The American Revolutionary War Living History Center said more information about its mission is available at the center’s website. - The United States Presidential Service Center said more information is available at the organization’s website. - The announcement also included social links for Martin CJ Mongiello at LinkedIn and YouTube.

The bottom line: - The new play makes Susannah Twitty the center of a broader Revolutionary War story that includes more women, Native leaders and international patriots on stage.