Ninety Six National Historic Site
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| Ninety Six National Historic Site | |
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| Location: | Greenwood County, South Carolina |
| Nearest city: | Greenwood, South Carolina |
| Coordinates: | |
| Area: | 1,022 (4.14 km²) |
| Established: | 1976 |
| Total Visitation: | 28,734 (in 2005) |
| Governing body: | National Park Service |
Ninety Six National Historic Site is a United States National Historic Site located about 60 miles (96 kilometers) south of Greenville, South Carolina. The historic site was established by in 1976 to preserve the original site of Ninety Six, South Carolina, a small town established in the early 1700s.
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[edit] History
The unusual name of Ninety Six was bestowed upon it by traders who mistakenly believed that 96 was the number of miles from the town to the Cherokee village of Keowee to the north. During the French and Indian War of the mid 1700s, the town was twice attacked by the Cherokee.
[edit] Revolutionary War
Ninety Six had become a prosperous village by the time the American Revolutionary War came knocking at the door. The first land battle of the war fought south of New England took place at Ninety Six in 1775. The village became a Loyalist stronghold early in the war and was fortified by the British in 1780. From May 22 - June 18, 1781, Continental Army Major General Nathanael Greene led 1,000 troops in a siege against the 550 Loyalists in the village. The 28-day siege, the longest of the entire war, centered on an earthen fortification known as Star Fort. Despite having more troops, Greene's patriots were eventually unsuccessful in taking the town.
A special ceremony was held the weekend of May 20, 2006 to commemorate the 225th anniversary of the Battle of Star Fort.
[edit] The site today
Ninety Six National Historic Site is located two miles (3.2 kilometers) south of the present day town of Ninety Six on South Carolina Highway 248. The National Park Service maintains a visitor center at the site. A one mile (1.6 kilometer) interpretive trail begins at the visitor center and takes visitors to the remains of Star Fort as well as the original site of Ninety Six. Additional off-road trails weaving through the woods lead to Star Fort Pond, an old unidentified cemetery (believed to be a slave cemetery from post-colonial times), and to the graves of Major James Gouedy, a trader influential in the founding of Ninety Six and Major James Mayson, who captured a significant gun powder cache to be used by the Americans.
