# 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. - **Drive:** Augusta → Abbeville - **Distance:** ~100 mi - **Days:** 1 - **Highways:** US 25, SC 34, SC 72 - **Avoids:** I-20 - **Region:** Upper South - **Themes:** History & Markers, Battlefields: Other Wars, Small Towns, Oddities & Roadside Wonders 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. Markers: 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. Stops: - **Old Edgefield Pottery** (Edgefield) · History & Markers — 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) · Small Towns — 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. Stops: - **Greenwood's Main Street** (Greenwood) · Small Towns — 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) · Battlefields: Other Wars — 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. Stops: - **Burt-Stark Mansion** (Abbeville) · History & Markers — 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) · Small Towns — 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. ## 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. ## 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.” ## Connects with - [SC 11: The Cherokee Foothills](https://dixieroadtrip.com/routes/cherokee-foothills) — Gaffney → Walhalla - [Gold, Clay & Longleaf](https://dixieroadtrip.com/routes/piedmont) — Raleigh → Columbia - [Sherman's Carolinas Campaign](https://dixieroadtrip.com/routes/shermans-carolinas) — Columbia → Durham --- Canonical URL: https://dixieroadtrip.com/routes/old-96 Publisher: Dixie Media (Dixie Road Trip, https://dixieroadtrip.com/) Last updated: 2026-10-05