Aiken County · Marker 02-58
"The Middle Road"
S.C. Hwy. 389, 4/10 mi. east of S.C. Hwy. 337, Perry vicinity
Front inscription
This road began as a Native American trading path that ran from the fall line of the Savannah River to Charleston. By the colonial era it was known as the Middle Road, Ninety Six Road, and the Road from Long Canes to Charleston. A statute of 1770 established it as a public road. It ran between the forks of the Edisto from Orangeburgh Bridge to the Indian Head, before continuing to the Ridge.
Indian Head
The Indian Head, a series of springs at the head of Goodland Swamp, long served as a landmark and watering place. Travelers along the Middle Road referenced it and it appears on colonial plats. In 1781 Loyalists under command of Lt. Col. John H. Cruger passed near here after their withdrawal from Ninety Six. They were pursued by Whigs, including militia commanded by Col. Andrew Pickens.