Ninety Six National Historic Site, also known as Old Ninety Six and Star Fort, is a United States National Historic Site located about 60 miles (96 kilometers) south of Greenville, South Carolina. The historic site was listed on the National Register in 1969, declared to be a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 1973, and established as a National Historic Site in 1976 to preserve the original site of

Ninety Six, South Carolina Ninety Six is a town in Greenwood County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 1,998 at the 2010 census. Geography Ninety Six is located in eastern Greenwood County at (34.173211, -82.021710). South Carolina Highway 34 passes through ...

, a small town established in the early 18th century. It encompasses 1,022 acres of property.

History

The most common proposed etymology of the

toponym Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of '' toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...

Ninety Six is a reference to the distance in miles between the location and the Cherokee town of

Keowee Keowee ( chr, ᎫᏩᎯᏱ, translit=Guwahiyi) was a Cherokee town in the far northwest corner of present-day South Carolina. It was the principal town of what were called the seven Lower Towns, located along the Keowee River (Colonists referred ...

. Supporters of such an etymology have to struggle with the fact that the distance between the two locales is 78 miles. David P. George, Jr., has advanced the alternate hypothesis that Ninety Six is a reinterpretation of "the nine and six," a reference to two sets of southerly flowing streams—nine tributaries o
Marion
an
Henley
creeks and six tributaries o
Thompsons Creek
��in an area in which the

Saluda River The Saluda River is a principal tributary of the Congaree River, about 200 mi (320 km) long, in northern and western South Carolina in the United States. Via the Congaree River, it is part of the watershed of the Santee River, which fl ...

tends to be fed by north and easterly flowing streams.

Revolutionary War

Ninety Six had become a prosperous village of about 100 settlers by the time of the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. The first land battle (the

siege of Savage's Old Fields The siege of Savage's Old Fields (also known as the first siege of Ninety Six, November 19–21, 1775) was an encounter between Patriot and Loyalist forces in the back country town of Ninety Six, South Carolina, early in the American Revolutio ...

) of the war fought in South Carolina took place at Ninety Six on November 19–21, 1775; then major Andrew Williamson of the Ninety-Six District Regiment of militia tried to recapture ammunition and gunpowder taken by Loyalists; outnumbered, he finally reached a truce with them.LLEWELLYN M. TOULMIN, "Backcountry Warrior: Brig. Gen. Andrew Williamson", ''Journal of Backcountry Studies'', Vol. 7 No.1, Spring 2012 The village became a Loyalist stronghold early in the war, though the backcountry of the Carolinas was populated both by those loyal to crown and by partisans. The latter were often of Scots-Irish descent, though there were loyalist Scots as well as migrants of other origins. Ninety Six was fortified by the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

in 1780, as they considered this a strategic location. From May 22 to June 18, 1781, newly appointed Southern Department commander of the Continental Army,

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

Nathanael Greene Nathanael Greene (June 19, 1786, sometimes misspelled Nathaniel) was a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. He emerged from the war with a reputation as General George Washington's most talented and dependab ...

led 1,000 troops in a

siege A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict characteriz ...

against the 550 Loyalists defending the fort in the village. The 28-day siege centered on an earthen star fort. Despite having more troops, Greene's patriots did not succeed in taking the town. Ninety Six was declared a

in 1973. and According to the South Carolina Department of Archives and History, the "historic district of Ninety Six National Historic Site contains numerous historical features." A special ceremony was held the weekend of May 20, 2006, to commemorate the 225th anniversary of the Battle of Star Fort. starfort

The site today

The 1,022-acre 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 The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propert ...

maintains a visitor center that includes a small museum containing artifacts found at the site, as well as other period artifacts, and oil paintings of the battle and local leaders of the American Revolution. A video about the battle is available, and there is also a gift shop. Visitors can rent a self-guided audio tour of the park. 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 gunpowder cache to be used by the Americans.

References

External links

National Park Service: Ninety Six National Historic Site

including 20 photos, at South Carolina Department of Archives and History

* Source for downloadable pdf of Llewellyn M. Toulmin article above on "Backcountry Warrior: Brig. Gen. Andrew Williamson" (''Journal of Backcountry Studies'' is now defunct): http://www.themosttraveled.com/adventures_gene.html {{authority control American Revolutionary War sites French and Indian War Protected areas of Greenwood County, South Carolina National Historic Landmarks in South Carolina National Historic Sites in South Carolina Museums in Greenwood County, South Carolina Protected areas established in 1976 American Revolutionary War museums in South Carolina Parks in South Carolina Star forts National Register of Historic Places in Greenwood County, South Carolina Forts on the National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina 1976 establishments in South Carolina American Revolution on the National Register of Historic Places

History

Revolutionary War

The site today

See also

References

External links