Ninety Six, South Carolina
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Ninety Six is a town located in Greenwood County, South Carolina. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 1,936.
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Geography
SCMap-doton-NinetySix.PNG
Location of Ninety Six, South Carolina
Ninety Six is located at 34°10'24" North, 82°1'18" West (34.173211, -82.021710)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 3.8 km² (1.5 mi²). 3.8 km² (1.5 mi²) of it is land and none of the area is covered with water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 1,936 people, 820 households, and 560 families residing in the town. The population density is 512.0/km² (1,325.1/mi²). There are 904 housing units at an average density of 239.1/km² (618.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 76.50% White, 22.73% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.05% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.21% from other races, and 0.36% from two or more races. 0.52% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 820 households out of which 30.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.1% are married couples living together, 17.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 31.6% are non-families. 29.3% of all households are made up of individuals and 16.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.36 and the average family size is 2.90.
In the town the population is spread out with 24.9% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 17.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 38 years. For every 100 females there are 81.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 78.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town is $33,423, and the median income for a family is $39,550. Males have a median income of $30,978 versus $25,034 for females. The per capita income for the town is $15,648. 8.3% of the population and 7.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 8.6% of those under the age of 18 and 8.7% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
History
Ninety Six was established in the early 1700s. It derived its name from the mistaken belief that it was 96 miles to the nearest Cherokee settlement of Keowee. The National Park Service has established a National Historic Site there to mark the location of the settlement.
Ninety Six also figured prominently in the Southern Campaign of the American Revolution. The first land battle south of New England was fought here in 1775 and in 1780, the British fortified the strategically important frontier town. From May 22 to June 18, 1781 Major General Nathanael Greene, with 1,000 patriot troops, staged the longest (yet unsuccessful) siege of the Revolutionary War against 550 loyalists who were defending Ninety Six.
Notable persons
Preston Brooks achieved notoriety for his brutal attack on Massachusetts abolitionist Senator Charles Sumner in the Senate Chamber in 1856 after Sumner delivered a speech comparing slavery to a harlot and slaveholders to those who embraced her, to which Brooks objected violently. Ninety Six honored Brooks with the largest gathering ever in that region. Thousands of canes were presented to Brooks to replace the one he had broken while beating Sumner, who remained incapacitated for years as a result.
Benjamin Mays, President of Morehouse College and mentor to Martin Luther King, Jr. was born in the vicinity of NInety Six. Some biographies place his birthplace in Epworth, South Carolina, roughly six miles to the south.
Orville Vernon Burton, Professor of History and Sociology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, was born and raised in Ninety Six. His book, In My Father’s House Are Many Mansions: Family and Community in Edgefield, South Carolina traces the social history of that region.
Bill Voiselle, pitcher for the New York Giants, Boston Braves, and Chicago Cubs, gained the distinction of being the only baseball player to wear his hometown as a uniform number when he wore "96" in honor of his South Carolina birthplace while with Boston and Chicago. At the time, this was the highest uniform number ever seen in Major League Baseball; it has since been broken by several players wearing 99. His statistics can be found at:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/v/voisebi01.shtml
Historic Baseball profile (http://www.historicbaseball.com/players/v/voiselle_bill.html)
External links
National Park Service historical narrative (http://www.nps.gov/nisi/)