Red Hill – The Patrick Henry National Memorial

Red Hill is the final home and burial place of Patrick Henry. Henry is best known for the immortal line, “Give me liberty or give me death,” although his numerous early speeches were attributed to encouraging the eventual revolution of the colonies from England. He was also insistent on the inclusion of individual freedoms in the Constitution, an insistence that eventually lead to the Bill of Rights.

Walking through the fields and forest of Red Hill, the visitor can almost picture Henry, with his fiddle, sitting under a tree, sipping cool spring water, as was apparently his habit. There are plenty of other things to see around the plantation. Along with the numerous restored buildings, there are two trails to hike: The Gene Dixon Trail and the Quarter Place Trail. From the visitor center, visitors can wander through hardwood forests to a historical African-American cemetery.

As you meander through the woods, search for northern cardinals and red-bellied woodpeckers or walk across the brushy fields where wild turkeys forage with their young. The open grassland hosts numerous eastern meadowlarks, as indigo bunting chip from the hedgerows and brown-headed cowbirds and mourning doves forage along the roadsides. Once in the river valley, great blue herons can be found stalking the riverbanks, and wood ducks can be seen flying in small groups stream. There is even a chance to see a bald eagle soaring majestically over Patrick Henry’s old home, a reminder of the freedom that Henry inspired for the nation.