Aiken in Aiken County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
1953 Gas Explosion
Photographed by Mike Stroud, 2010
1. 1953 Gas Explosion Marker
On January 27, 1953, an explosion caused by a natural gas leak killed ten people and destroyed five buildings on the northern half of this block. The five buildings destroyed were Platt's Drug Store, the Jones Electric Company (the site of the explosion), R.W. McCreary's, the Diana Shop, and Liles Drug Company (the former site of Hahn Grocery for many years). The Holley Building and the others to the south, sustained damage, but survived the blast. The ten local citizens (nine from Aiken and one from Graniteville) killed in the accident are here remembered. They are David O. Rutland, Emille C. McCarter, John C. Watson, Charles Nelson Long, Mrs. W.M. Duncan, John Henry "Jack" Neibling, "Bubba" Mosley, Jack Holley, Ruth Madry, and Mae Weeks.
Erected 2009 by Aiken County Historical Society.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Disasters • Notable Events. In addition, it is included in the South Carolina, Aiken County Historical Society series list. A significant historical month for this entry is January 1882.
Location. 33° 33.677′ N, 81° 43.369′ W. Marker is in Aiken, South Carolina, in Aiken County. It is on Laurens Street SW south of Richland Avenue W, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Aiken SC 29801, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Greater Augusta and in the Midlands. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Deep South. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers.
this page online
Another marker is no longer nearby. South Carolina Canal & Rail Road Company (was about 600 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Also see . . .
1. Aiken's 1953 Gas Explosion. By the beginning of the 1950s, Aiken was well on its way to becoming a progressive and modern small town. (Submitted on December 15, 2010, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.)
2. Marker at site of '53 explosion gets OK'd. The Aiken Design Review Board has voted to recommend to City Council that a historic marker be placed at the site of the 1953 gas explosion that occurred on Laurens Street. (Submitted on October 24, 2012, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.)
3. David O. Rutland Tombstone.
Photographed by Mike Stroud, March 14, 2010
2. 1953 Gas Explosion Marker along Laurens Street
4. Remembering Jan. 27, 1953, a day that rocked Aiken. Horace Bouknight saw everything. The former Aiken resident was standing on Laurens Street around 8:30 a.m., Jan. 27, 1953. It was a Tuesday. Bouknight was 20 years old the time when a massive explosion in front of the Jones Electric Company building sent glass flying across four city blocks, according to news reports from the time. (Submitted on March 26, 2017, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.)
5. 1953 Gas Explosion in Downtown Aiken, SC - Youtube. Recently discovered and digitized footage shot by Vernon Fulmer on his 8mm home movie camera after an explosion caused by a natural gas leak killed ten people and destroyed five buildings. (Submitted on March 26, 2017, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.)
Additional commentary.
1. The 1953 Aiken Gas Explosion By the Numbers:
Photographed by Mike Stroud, March 14, 2010
3. The Holley Building, as mentioned
Photographed by Mike Stroud, March 14, 2010
4. 1953 Gas Explosion Marker and northend of the block, near Richland Avenue
Photographed by Brian Scott, August 2, 2015
5. 1953 Gas Explosion Marker
Aiken by Paul Miles and Janice McDonald
6. Liles Drug Company
Fomerly Hahn and Company
Fomerly Hahn and Company
Founded in 1865 at the corner of Laurens Street ad Richland Avenue. As the company expanded, owner Henry Hahn built this building as on the west side of Laurens Street in 1886. On its lower level was a high-quality grocery store touted as the finest n the South. It carried a large supply of gourmet goods to answer the demand of the Winter Colonists' refined palate. Store patrons could shop and Hahn's would deliver their groceries via horse and buggy. The store operated until 1953, but the building continued serving as one of Aiken's best-known commercial buildings until a gas explosion claimed it in 1956.
Photographed by Aiken Standard Jan. 28, 1953, January 27, 1953
7. 1953 Gas Explosion
Photographed by Aiken Standard Jan. 28, 1953, January 28, 1953
8. Aiken Standard Front Page for January 28, 1953
Credits. This page was last revised on October 17, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 17, 2010, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 4,274 times since then and 120 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on March 18, 2010, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. 5. submitted on August 7, 2015, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. 6. submitted on June 4, 2012, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. 7, 8. submitted on March 26, 2017, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.
