Ninety Six National Historic Site, in Ninety Six, South Carolina, preserves the remains of a colonial outpost and town. Ninety Six served as a trading post for South Carolina colonists and a military post for British loyalists during the Revolutionary War in America (1775-1783). Ninety Six was declared a national historic site in 1976.
The town of Ninety Six began as an outpost along the Cherokee Path, a road that connected settlers on the coast of South Carolina with Indian villages inland. Settlers used the road to trade with the Indians for furs and leather. Ninety Six was established where other roads crossed the Cherokee Path to serve as a trading post and rest stop. Traders named the town Ninety Six, believing it to be 96 miles (154 kilometers) from the Cherokee village of Keowee. The crossroads location of Ninety Six eventually drew people to settle around it. Settlers built a fort for protection from Cherokee Indians who opposed their presence.
Ninety Six played a role in the United Kingdom’s Southern campaign of the Revolutionary War. In 1775, British and American forces fought the first land battle south of New England there. In 1781, American Major General Nathanael Greene and 1,000 troops laid siege to British forces in the fort. The Americans abandoned the siege after 28 days, but their unsuccessful attempt to capture Ninety Six was the longest siege of the Revolutionary War.
Visitors to the Ninety Six National Historic Site can view the remains of a star-shaped fort and a reconstructed stockade fort. The star-shaped fort, built of earth, was the site of Greene’s famous siege. Visitors can see the remains of trenches dug by Greene’s troops during the siege. The stockade fort, made of wood, once protected the town’s water supply. Visitors can also hike sections of the historic roads that met at Ninety Six. A visitors center houses exhibits and artifacts dealing with the town’s history.
See also American Revolution; Cherokee; Greene, Nathanael.
