96

We did not have any plans today. The last couple weeks have been just doing spring stuff around the house. We decided to go to 96.    It is a National Historic Site and also a town!
As an added bonus the town was having a town wide garage sale on the green.

On the road!

Downtown 96. I am sure that they do not have this much traffic all the time. It as a big deal this garage sale

We learned some history of the town when we walked around all the tables

The depot still exists!

At the town fountain

Random toy in a parking lot. It was not there when we parked the car.  It looks like a dream of childhood.
We looked at all the tables, we had a great time. Bought a hot dog snack.  I found some vintage lace at a very nice price.
Now we were off to the National Historic Site

History Bit from the National Park Web Site:

Ninety Six National Historic Site is an area of unique historical and archeological significance. The unusual name was given by Charleston traders in the early 1700's because they thought it was the estimated remaining number of miles from here to the Cherokee village of Keowee in the upper South Carolina foothills.

By the mid-1700's, European colonists found it a favorable place to settle. During Ninety Six's early days, troubles with local Indians increased.In 1760, Cherokees twice attacked Fort Ninety Six, built for the settlers' protection. Located at the crossroads of twelve roads and paths, Ninety Six village reached its peak in the 1770's.This important backcountry town boasted a growing population, 12 houses, taverns and shops.At the newly constructed courthouse and jail, court cases were heard twice each year in April and November.

Ninety Six proved to be a strategic location in the Revolutionary War.The first land battle south of New England was fought here in 1775.Later in the war, Ninety Six figured prominently in the Southern Campaign of the American Revolution.In 1780, the British fortified the strategically important frontier town. From May 22 - June 18, 1781 Major General Nathanael Greene with 1,000 patriot troops staged the longest field siege of the Revolutionary War against 550 loyalists who were defending Ninety Six. The earthen Star Fort remains as one of the best preserved examples of an original 18th century fortification.

All kitted up and ready to learn!
Today would be his 50th badge

Something you were probably wondering

One of the little cannons used in the battle

Starting on the Jr. Ranger Badge at the tiny museum in the Visitor Center

I am going to put some of the sign in. They were very well done here

One of the few pictures with spots on it.  Do not know why.

at the star fort.  It is not as tall as it used to be, but you can still see it!

The road. It is still there.
This amazes me

They had pretend muskets on chains for the kids to play with.

Reading about the mine

What the fort looked like

He read every sign, and learned tons about the fort

Woman and Child
As many as 100 loyalist families took refuge in the town of 96 during the 1781 siege. They had to suffer the same hardships and disease as the Loyalist soldier. After the battle many families followed the British Army to Charleston, never to return to 96.

 This one shows the road a little better

Learning why the British Burned 96.

The quiet field before you was the site of the once-thriving 1700s town of Ninety Six. In 1781 it had about a dozen homes, a courthouse, and a jail. When Lieutenant Colonel Cruger arrived in 1780, he fortified it against attack. One visitor observed, "Its houses, which were intierly [sic] wood, were comprised within a stockade. The commandant immediately set the garrison, both officers and men, to work to throw up a bank, parapet high, around the stockade, and to strengthen it with abatis."

During the siege of 1781, many Loyalist families from the backcountry, fleeing from Greene's advancing Patriot army, took refuge in the fortified town. Packed into the stockaded village, already filled with Cruger's troops and sick or wounded soldiers carried out from the Star Fort, these refugees lived in constant fear of Patriot gunfire and dwindling food and water supplies.

After the Patriot's defeat, Cruger was ordered to evacuate the town. The British command decided that Ninety Six was too far from Charleston and too deep in hostile territory to be of further value to their cause. So in July 1781, Cruger's men, with Loyalist families in tow, abandoned the village and burned it to the ground, denying Patriots further use of the site

One of the last signs

Beautiful and peaceful

Water sources were very important to a town.  They used Spring Creek to haul water into the town. Hauling water has never been my favorite thing. 

The shadow figures are throughout the park 

Lon trying out the second of the muskets.  He was having a blast with them

Lon only vaguely remembers being at Stratford Hall in Virginia.   He was rather small when we were there.
Stratford Hall was the home of Light Horse Henry Lee.

What you can't read on the stone.

Did not know there was a Cambridge South Carolina at one point.  Faded away before the civil war due to the railroad not being near enough to the town.  Two  miles was a long way in 1856.

Logan Log House

Built by Andrew Logan in the late 1700s, this well preserved example of a log house of that time was discovered in nearby Greenwood. The historic stricture has been hidden under siding and obscured by alterations from a much later period. Realizing its value as an extraordinary artifact, the Star Fort Commission, which managed this site before the National Park Service, had it moved here in 1968. 
The two-story house of logs and chinking mortar is typical of colonial-era backcountry buildings. A fireplace would have been used for heat and cooking, furniture would have been scant and simply, and animals might have been quartered in a side-yard pen. The Logan Log House is now used for living history programs. 

The interior of the cabin.

The outdoor oven. 

Lon in the stocks. 

Getting his Jr. Ranger badge! Taking the oath.  It as good to get back into getting them! 

The squirrel.  We love squirrels
It was time to head on home. 

We did not see a place to eat in Saluda or the next town. When we came across this place we were hungry and wanted to stop!  It was not bad. 

Yep, there were deer heads hanging on the wall!  
Lon got pancakes, Mark got fried chicken and I had the burger. 

Old buildings. Love these

If you look really close, you can see donkeys! We thought they were cows at first but they were donkeys! Of course then we started talking about Donkey and Shrek.

These are cows

We had a great day. It was really fun to go on a little day trip!  Perfect weather, and  great company!