For 100 years, the National Park Service has preserved America’s special places “for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations.” Celebrate its second century with the Find Your Park GeoTour and explore these geocaches placed for you by National Park Service Rangers and their partners.
geocaching.com/play/geotours/findyourpark
Ninety Six National Historic Site is a fee free park open on a varying schedule and closed for federal holidays. Please call the visitor center for current operating hours and closures at (864)543-4068. This cache can only be completed during park hours. The coordinates given on the cache page will take you to the main gate of the park. Parking and Visitor Center are very near the entrance. You will need to walk a paved one mile trail seeking a one word answer to the questions below. Begin the trail at the left of the Visitor Center and continue the trail in a clockwise direction. If you have any questions about where to start, see one of the Rangers. Your reward for walking the trail will likely make this one of the easiest finds you'll ever do since we are telling you the location of the log book is in the Visitors Center but to log your find you need to do some counting. How many letters are in each of your answers? Use only the even numbers in the order you found them to open the lock on the container holding the log book. There is no need to leave the pavement or sidewalks for any part of this cache.
1. What is on top of the monument erected by the DAR in November, 1954. The location of this monument is at the beginning of your journey.
2. What is the Cherokee word for "Principal people"?
3. What was used to cross the Saluda River at Island Ford?
4. How many points did the star shape of the fort have?
5. At the memorial for James Birmingham, find the name of the group who erected it. What is the middle name of the group?
6. At the Logan House find the last sentence of the information about the house. What is the word between now and for?
The Southern Campaign of the American Revolution Parks Group encompasses Cowpens National Battlefield, Kings Mountain National Military Park, Ninety Six National Historic Park, and the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail. After the Battle(s) of Saratoga, the American Revolution was essentially a stalemate. The British devised a new plan to end the war. The new plan was called the Southern Strategy, or Southern Campaign. The Campaign did end the war, but not in the manner the British had expected. Key events, specifically in South Carolina, tipped the favor of war to the Americans. Fun Fact: There were more battles and skirmishes in South Carolina than in any other colony during the American Revolution.
Ninety Six National Historic Site preserves the history of two battles, the first battle south of New England, and the longest siege of the American Revolution. By the time of the Revolution, the Town of Nintey Six was a bustling town and was the crossroads of 12 roads. Because of its strategic location, the British fortified the town in 1780. Knowing how important control of this town was, the Americans laid siege to Ninety Six. The siege lasted From May 22- June 18, 1781. The siege was directed by Thaddeus Kosciuszko, a military engineer under orders of General Nathaniel Greene. Kosciuszko orchestrated a system of parallels and approach trenches in an attempt to reach the Star Fort. The Americans attacked on June 18 and included tactics wielded by General Nathaniel Greene and Colonel Henry “Light- horse” Lee against Lt. Col. John Cruger and his 550 Loyalists. The Americans found the cannon could not breach the earthen walls of the fort so men ascended upon the fort walls which were reinforced with sharpened stakes that had to first be removed. Cruger and his troops met the Americans outside the fort in fierce hand- to- hand combat. Both sides suffered great losses, but it was the Americans that were forced to retreat. Visitors can view the park film, look through the gift shop, and stroll through the museum before heading out on the 1- mile interpretive trail that will lead them by the original structure of the Star Fort which still stands. Fun Fact: Recently archaeologists were able to enter one of the tunnels built at the direction of Kosciuszko, record video, and obtain data that, among many things, enabled them to make a 3D model of the mine. To learn more about Ninety Six National Historic Site, visit the web site at www.nps.gov/nisi .