Ninety Six National Military Park

I recently visited Ninety Six National Military Park, the site of the first land battle of the Revolutionary War south of New England; it is about 60 miles west-northwest of Columbia. Ninety Six was a town in which the Loyalists built a massive fortification called the Star Fort (named for its star shape, which gave it great strength and gave those inside many vantage points for defending it) that the Patriots held in siege for 28 days, the longest siege of the war. The siege ultimately failed.

A one-mile trail leads visitors around the fort and through the site of the town of Ninety Six. The raised earth of the fort is still very prevalent, and seeing that is quite a treat. Another treat to see is a house that was built in 1787. I also took a side trail that leads to an unidentified cemetery, believed to be a slave cemetery.