American Travel Journal: Visitor Center - Ninety Six National Historic Site

Today, Ninety Six, South Carolina is a small town in Greenwood County that is well off the beaten path. In Colonial times, however, the original town a couple of miles south was the crossroads of the frontier country and the district (county) seat. On November 19, 1775, it was the site of the first land battle of the Revolutionary War south of New England. Approximately 1900 loyalists attacked 600 patriots. The two sides fought to a draw over several day and agreed to a truce. With local loyalties divided in the area, a number of guerrilla-type skirmishes occurred over the ensuing years. By 1781, the loyalists controlled the town and had built a star fort to defend it. Patriot General Nathanael Greene and his engineer, Colonel Tadeusz Kościuszko, laid siege to the star fort in what was to become the longest siege in the war. After 28 days, the patriots withdrew as a loyalist relief brigade was due to arrive. Shortly after, the British decided the once-strategic outpost was not worth further defense and withdrew the loyalists to the Low Country after burning the town to the ground.

The small park encompasses the entire original town site of Ninety Six, the Star Fort, and the Stockade Fort which was also the site of the 1775 battle. A one-mile paved loop trail provides access to all of these locations. The visitor center contains an information desk, bookstore, museum and theater. A 20 minute video Ninety Six: Crossroads of a Revolution is narrated by Trace Adkins. An adjacent building houses the administrative offices and public restrooms. I visited in November 2015.