Aiken in Aiken County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Original Survey of Aiken
The town of Aiken, on land donated by Mr. Beverly M. Rodgers to the S.C. Rail Road in 1834, was laid out around a core of 27 city blocks bounded by Edgefield and Park Aves. and Newberry and Williamsburg Sts. This area was surveyed by civil engineers Cyril Ouviere Pascalis (1810-1836?) and Andrew Alfred Dexter (1809-1854), who had also helped survey the route of the new railroad between Hamburg and Charleston in 1832-33.
Erected 2004 by the Henry Tyler Chapter, Colonial Dames of the XVII Century, Jefferson Davis Chapter #2465, United Daughters of the Confederacy, and the Gen. David Williams Chapter, National Society of the Daughters of the War of 1812. (Marker Number 2-26.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Notable Places • Railroads & Streetcars • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the The Colonial Dames XVII Century, National Society, and the United Daughters of the Confederacy series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1834.
Location. 33° 33.65′ N, 81° 43.244′ W. Marker is in Aiken, South Carolina, in Aiken County. Marker is at the intersection of Newberry Street SW and Richland Avenue West (U.S. 1), in the median on Newberry Street SW . Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Aiken SC 29801, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 10 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. St. John's Methodist Church (within shouting distance of this marker); H. Odell Weeks (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); William Aiken, Sr. (about 400 feet away); Battle of Aiken (about 500 feet away); Aiken's Jewish Merchants (about 600 feet away); 1953 Gas Explosion (about 700 feet away); The Detection of the Neutrino, 1956 / The Nobel Prize In Physics, 1995 (about 700 feet away); Aiken (about 700 feet away); Author Jeff Scott (about 700 feet away); Fred B. Cavanaugh (about 800 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Aiken.
Regarding Original Survey of Aiken. Three historical events generally shaped the physical development of Aiken: construction of the railroad line between Charleston, SC. and Hamburg, SC. in the 1830’s, the development of a winter resort industry based on equestrian sports in the 1880’s, and the establishment of the Savannah River Plant, a nuclear weapons facility, in the 1950’s. Today, Aiken reflects the influence of these events in the layout of its streets, the distribution of its neighborhoods, and the remarkable architecture spread throughout the City limits.
Leaders of the South Carolina Railroad and Canal Company wanted to develop real estate along the line to appeal to South Carolina residents wanting to escape the heat and disease associated with the summer months.The company’s engineers designed the town of Aiken to have plenty of trees and open spaces which were believed to provide a healthier living environment.
A group of Charleston, South Carolina businessmen incorporated the South Carolina Rail Road and Canal Company (SCRRCC) in December 1827. William Aiken, one of South Carolina’s leading cotton merchants, served as president of the company between 1829 and 1831. SCRRCC wanted to develop a
transportation link between Charleston and Augusta that would redirect trade that was going down the river to Savannah. Horatio Allen, an engineer from New York, selected the route from Charleston. Allen was nationally famous for supervising the first railroad in America, a short line for the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company. He was also the first person in the western hemisphere to drive a locomotive. The railroad line ran along the ridge between the Ashley and Cooper Rivers, crossed the Edisto River, and then turned west, following ridges towards Augusta and terminating in Hamburg, SC opposite Augusta. Between 1830 and 1833, the SCRRCC constructed the 136-mile, single-track line from Charleston to Hamburg, creating the longest passenger railroad in the world at the time. It had three sections. The main section connected Charleston to Edisto Bridge (today known as Branchville), where the line branched into east and west lines. The eastern section went to Columbia. The western section passed through the towns of White Pond, Windsor, and Montmorenci, before reaching Hamburg. The western section was completed in the fall of 1833
In the early years of the Winter Colony, visitors often rented houses or rooms in town, but over, the following decades, families constructed their own homes, some establishing permanent residence in Aiken. In this period, families associated with the Winter Colony built exquisite mansions, often accompanied by extensive stable facilities and adorned with lavish, formal gardens. The Second World War,
coming on the heels of the Great Depression, disrupted the seasonal arrival of winter visitors.
In 1952, the Atomic Energy Commission constructed the Savannah River Plant, an atomic energy facility on the Savannah River, at a site approximately fifteen miles from Aiken. Thousands of construction workers and plant personnel arrived in Aiken, first occupying hastily constructed temporary housing and then establishing new residential subdivisions pushing up against the historic neighborhoods of Aiken. Much of the plant-related residential development occurred south of town, along Whiskey Road, the main artery connecting Aiken to the Savannah River Plant. (City of Aiken Historic Resources Survey Report, December 22, 2010)
Also see . . .
1. The South Carolina Railroad. was the direct successor of the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company, which had operated its 136-mile line from Charleston, SC to Hamburg, SC since 1833. (Submitted on April 9, 2010, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.)
2. Aiken, South Carolina. Aiken is a city in and the county seat of Aiken County, South Carolina, United States. (Submitted on January 6, 2011, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.)
3. City of Aiken, SC. Official website of the City of Aiken, S.C. (Submitted on January 6, 2011, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.)
4. Hamburg, Aiken County, South Carolina. The dead town of Hamburg, South Carolina, was once a thriving upriver market located in Edgefield District (now Aiken County). (Submitted on January 6, 2011, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.)
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on April 9, 2010, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 2,269 times since then and 33 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 9, 2010, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. 4, 5, 6. submitted on May 22, 2010, by Ivie Diane Avery of Port Saint Lucie, Florida. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. submitted on April 9, 2010, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.