Fort Prince was built in

Spartanburg County, South Carolina Spartanburg County is a County (United States), county located on the northwestern border of the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 327,997, making it the fifth-most populous county ...

for protection against the

Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...

Indians. It was near the residence of a Mr. Prince. Fort Prince was the general rallying point in times of danger when the people of the settlement sought safety. Just in front was a creek for their washing. Nearby stood a mill which ground corn, later known as Grays Mill. There was a Battle of Fort Prince during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, when Edward Hampton drove the British from the fort on July 15, 1780, and it stood for several years after.

Size and Shape

Fort Prince, circular in shape, was constructed of heavy logs. It was in diameter and high. Port holes were cut for use by riflemen, and it was surrounded by a ditch, the dirt from which was thrown against the walls to parapet height. In 1777 Fort Prince was commanded by Captain James Steen (promoted to lieutenant colonel by 1780), of

Thicketty, South Carolina Thicketty (''also spelled Thickety'') is an unincorporated community in Cherokee County, South Carolina, United States. It lies between Gaffney and Cowpens along U.S. Route 29. Thicketty is located approximately northeast of Spartanburg Sp ...

(Thicketty Creek).Lyman Draper (1815–1891) in ''Kings Mountain and Its Heroes'', pages 469–470, published 1881.

Location

Various descriptions of location exist, all written years later. One places the fort miles northeast of the present village Fair Forest on Fairforest Creek, a branch of the

Tyger River The Tyger River is a stream in the U.S. state of South Carolina, and a tributary of the Broad River. It is part of the Santee River Basin. It is a generally shallow and narrow river. Pollution in the north fork was the source of dispute in '' Fr ...

, Ninety Six District,

Union County, South Carolina Union County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,244. Its county seat is Union. The county was created in 1785. Union County is coterminous with the Union, SC, Micropolitan Sta ...

. This may be an earlier fort by a similar name, whose location was covered in 1971 by a new lake. A second description locates it as southwest of the city of

Union, South Carolina The city of Union is the county seat of Union County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 8,393 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Union Micropolitan Statistical Area (population 28,961 according to 2010 Census), ...

where the road SC49 crosses over Fairforest Creek on a commanding height of land beside Gray's creek, a branch of the Tyger River. Blackstock Road ran beside the Fort and intersected with the road to Earlesville, now known as

Landrum, South Carolina Landrum is a city in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 2,376 at the 2010 census. Landrum was founded in 1880 and incorporated in 1912. It is located just west of Interstate 26 between Spartanburg and Asheville ...

. To the southeast, it became Charles Town Road. The site of Fort Prince is shown on the 1858 Geognostic Map of Spartanburg District (by Oscar Lieber) as on the Blackstock Road near the North Tyger River and Nazareth Church. This map is available in the South Carolina Archives.

Directions to the Fort Prince Cemetery

I-85 to Exit 68, then take Hwy 129 South towards Greer to first right turn onto Fort Prince Road. Go about 1/4 mile on Fort Prince Road, see Cemetery on left. D.A.R. marker is in the cornfield - hard to find. Across Rt. 129 from cemetery is bicentennial marker erected by Wellford Bicentennial Committee in 1977.

Notes

References

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Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

Buildings and structures in Spartanburg County, South Carolina