Ninety-Six, South Carolina
| Ninety Six, South Carolina | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
Sunset over the battlefield at Star Fort
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 Location of Ninety Six, South Carolina |
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| Coordinates: 34°10′24″N 82°1′18″W / 34.17333°N 82.02167°WCoordinates: 34°10′24″N 82°1′18″W / 34.17333°N 82.02167°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | South Carolina |
| County | Greenwood |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.5 sq mi (3.8 km2) |
| • Land | 1.5 sq mi (3.8 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 548 ft (167 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 1,936 |
| • Density | 1,325.1/sq mi (511.6/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC−5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC−4) |
| ZIP code | 29666 |
| Area code | 864 |
| FIPS code | 45-50290 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1249874 |
| Website | www.ninetysixsc.gov |
Ninety Six is a town in Greenwood County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 1,998 at the 2010 census.
Ninety Six is located at 34°10′24″N 82°1′18″W / 34.17333°N 82.02167°W (34.173211, -82.021710).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.5 square miles (3.8 km²), all land.
There is much confusion about the mysterious name, "Ninety-Six", and the true origin may never be known. Speculation has led to the mistaken belief that it was 96 miles to the nearest Cherokee settlement of Keowee; to a counting of creeks crossing the main road leading from Lexington, South Carolina, to Ninety-Six; to an interpretation of a Welsh expression, "nant-sych," meaning "dry gulch." No one is able to confirm that founder Robert Goudey (sic) was Welsh, English, Scottish, or German. An examination of early maps indicates markings such as "30" and "60" and "90" at different points, possibly indicating "chains." Since Ninety-Six was located in Clarendon Parish, it is possible that Parish linear measurements as used in England were used on colonial maps to measure distances in "chains". In England, according to a British and Welsh booklet designating linear measurements, Parish maps used a rule of "4 chains to the inch." In using that parish rule on an early map of colonial South Carolina, 90 "chains" on a map would probably cover approximately 24 inches, the map distance from "Saxe Gotha" (modern Lexington, South Carolina) to Ninety-Six. Using the same measurements for the distance from Ninety-Six to the Savannah River, the measurement would be approximately 2.5 inches, or (very) roughly 6 "chains", hence 96. Even so, the origin of the name, "Ninety-Six", likely remains a mystery.
Ninety Six was established on the frontier in the early 18th century. For a time it was known as "Jews Land" because some prominent Sephardic Jewish families of London bought extensive property there. The Salvador and DaCosta families bought 200,000 acres (810 km2), intending to help some poor Sephardic families to relocate from London to the New World.
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