Aiken in Aiken County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
McGhee Block
⎯⎯⎯
Johnson's Drug Store
McGhee Block. This seven-storefront brick building was built in 1920 by African American contractors and cousins William M. McGhee and Albert B. McGhee. Known as the McGhee Block, it housed such businesses as stores, dry cleaners, restaurants, and the McGhee & McGhee company office. Among the firm's notable projects were the Aiken Hospital (1917), the Aiken Prep and Fermata School gyms (1926, 1929), and the Hopelands Gardens serpentine wall (1930). Both McGhees died in 1938.
Johnson's Drug Store. One of the McGhee Block's first tenants was Johnson's Drug Store. It was owned by African American physician Dr. Charles C. Johnson, a civic leader who came to Aiken around 1905. Johnson's store sold medication, toiletries, stationery, and other goods and included a soda fountain. The store employed Black pharmacists and served Black and white customers. It remained open after Johnson's death and relocated in 1940.
Erected 2023 by South Carolina State Historic Preservation Office, sponsored by Aiken County Historical Society, Historic Aiken Foundation, City of Aiken. (Marker Number 2-78.)
Topics and series. This
this page online
Location. 33° 33.658′ N, 81° 43.259′ W. Marker is in Aiken, South Carolina, in Aiken County. It is at the intersection of Richland Avenue West and Newberry Street Southwest, on the right when traveling east on Richland Avenue West. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 201 Richland Ave W, 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. At least 8 other markers are
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), January 16, 2026
2. Johnson's Drug Store side of the marker
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), January 16, 2026
3. McGhee Block / Johnson's Drug Store Marker
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), January 16, 2026
4. McGhee Block / Johnson's Drug Store Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on January 23, 2026. It was originally submitted on January 23, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 37 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on January 23, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
