Ninety Six

As those of you who follow this blog are aware, I look at signs as I travel. Tuesday on our way to Tennessee was no exception. As we were traveling through South Carolina there was a sign for the Ninety Six National Historic Site. My first thought was ninety six what? People? Invention? Today's history lesson is about Ninety Six, South Carolina. The historic site is to preserve the original site of the village of Ninety Six.

Why is the village called Ninety Six? Many have proposed that the name Ninety Six refers to the distance between that location and the Cherokee town of Keowee. There is an unfortunate truth that makes this theory unlikely. The distance between the two places is in fact 78 miles. The true origin of the name will probably never be known. The town of Ninety Six was established on the frontier in the early 18th century. It was known for a time as "Jews Land because prominent Sephardic Jewish families from London bought 200,000 acres with the intent of helping poor Sephardic families relocate to America. Ninety Six figured prominently in the Southern campaign of the Revolutionary War. The first land battle south of New England was fought at Ninety Six in 1775. August 1, 1776 American militia forces led by Major Andrew Williamson were ambushed by Cherokee and Loyalists near Ninety Six at the Battle of Twelve Mile Creek. The battle was significant in one way. It saw the death of Francis Salvador, a Sephardic Jewish immigrant from London the first Jew to be killed fighting with the Patriots in the Revolutionary War.

British forces fortified the frontier town with a star fort. In May and June 1781 Major General Nathanael Greene along with 1,000 Patriot troops laid siege to the fort holding 550 American Loyalists. Greene and his troops were unable to take the fort. The Loyalist troops who survived the assault were relocated after the war to Rawdon, Nova Scotia, Canada with support of the Crown for resettlement.

Ninety Six was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1973. It was established as a National Historic Site in 1976. So now you know a bit more about American history.