South Carolina endured a violent conflict in the late 1750s and early 1760s as th Cherokees took on British forces in the French and Indian War.

Although none of the major battles occurred in what is now Lexington County, settlers in the area were subject to raids by Cherokee warriors. The Cherokee were reported to have killed and scalped several farmers and forced others to flee.

Many settlers in the area ran to fortified houses that featured stockade walls.

Some of these in Lexington County included Dreher’s Fort and Gallman’s Fort.

Other settlers took refuge in Purrysburgh Township along the Savannah River and Ebenezer in Georgia.

JR Fennell is Lexington County Museum director