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As early as 1690 a fur trader named DAUGHERTY came from Virginia to SC and lived among the Indians in what later became the "96" District. The village of "96", which was located seven miles east of Greenwood, got that name because it was 96 miles from Ft. Prince George on the Keowee River. Capt. John Francis is actually considered the first settler in the village (about 1730). During the Revolutionary War, the British established a stronghold at nearby Fort Star and in May and June of 1781, General Nathaniel Green besieged the fort without apparent success. British reinforcements arrived and the siege was lifted. Nevertheless the British abandoned the fort on June 29.
On 12 Mar 1785 Ninety-Six was divided into six counties -- Spartanburg, Union, Laurens, Newberry, Abbeville and Edgefield. Later divisions resulted in formation of the present