Upper South

States: Georgia · South Carolina

Start near: Greenville, SC (about 1 h 10 min to Abbeville) · Columbia, SC (about 1 h 40 min to Augusta)

The Old Ninety Six District

backcountry crowns and kilns

The Old Ninety Six District is a ~100-mile back-roads route from Augusta to Abbeville on US 25, SC 34 and SC 72, driven in 1 day, that stays off I-20 through the Upper South.

Open the interactive map →

Drive

Augusta → Abbeville

Distance

~100 miles

Time

1 day

Highways

US 25 · SC 34 · SC 72

Avoids

I-20

Region

Upper South

The South Carolina backcountry ran on Edgefield stoneware and hard politics: the district produced ten governors, and its enslaved potter David Drake signed and versed his great jars in open defiance of literacy law; the Met owns his work now. Up the road, Ninety Six preserves the Revolution's 28-day southern siege and its star fort, and Abbeville holds both ends of the Confederacy: a launch meeting in 1860 and Jefferson Davis's last war council in 1865. The square calls itself the birthplace and the deathbed, and has the buildings for it.

📍 Rev War backcountry markers cluster at Ninety Six; Edgefield's pottery story is told at the discovery center.

The drive, segment by segment

Edgefield Pottery

Augusta → Edgefield · ~25 mi

Over the Savannah into the old district's kiln country and courthouse square.

• 🏛️Old Edgefield Pottery — Edgefield

  The alkaline-glazed stoneware tradition, and David Drake, enslaved and defiantly literate, whose signed, versed jars now stand in the Met.

• 🏘️Edgefield's ten governors — Edgefield

  One small courthouse town produced ten South Carolina governors, a statistic the square commemorates with busts and no false modesty.

The Star Fort

Edgefield → Ninety Six · ~45 mi

Greenwood's wide Main Street, then the siege lines and reconstructed stockade.

• 🏘️Greenwood's Main Street — Greenwood

  A railroad-era Main Street that claims a place among the widest in the world; the emerald-city branding leans in.

• 🛡️Ninety Six NHS — Ninety Six

  Greene's 28-day 1781 siege against the loyalist star fort, the earthworks still crisp; the walking loop reads the whole chess match.

The Deathbed

Ninety Six → Abbeville · ~30 mi

West to the opera-house square and the mansion where the Confederacy's books closed.

• 🏛️Burt-Stark Mansion — Abbeville

  Jefferson Davis held his final council of war here on May 2, 1865, and was told it was over; the house keeps the room as the argument left it.

• 🏘️Abbeville Square — Abbeville

  A gaslit square with a working 1908 opera house; the town's 'birthplace and deathbed of the Confederacy' tagline is local, and the architecture backs the drama.

Tips and best time to go

• Walk Ninety Six early; the siege lines bake by ten in summer.
• Check the Abbeville Opera House bill; a show makes the overnight.

Frequently asked questions

How long is The Old Ninety Six District and how many days does it take?

The Old Ninety Six District is about 100 miles and takes 1 day at a back-roads pace.

Where does The Old Ninety Six District start and end?

It runs from Augusta to Abbeville.

Which highways does The Old Ninety Six District follow?

It follows US 25, SC 34 and SC 72.

Which interstate does The Old Ninety Six District replace?

It avoids I-20, using US 25, SC 34 and SC 72 instead.

How many stops are on The Old Ninety Six District, and what are the highlights?

6 stops are mapped, including Old Edgefield Pottery, Edgefield's ten governors, Greenwood's Main Street, Ninety Six NHS and Burt-Stark Mansion.

When is the best time to drive The Old Ninety Six District?

The atlas’s seasonal note for this route: “Walk Ninety Six early; the siege lines bake by ten in summer.”

Worth a detour

• Redcliffe Plantation — James Henry Hammond's Beech Island estate, the 'Cotton is King' senator; the site tells the enslaved Henley and Goodwin families' story with equal weight.
• Hickory Knob State Resort Park — Lodge, cabins and golf on Thurmond Lake, the practical overnight for the district.