Aiken in Aiken County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Highland Park Hotel
Photographed by Mike Stroud, 2010
1. Highland Park Hotel Marker
The Highland Park Hotel, Aikens first grand tourist hotel, stood atop this plateau. It was built in 1869-70 and opened in 1870. A four-story Second Empire wing built in 1874 doubled its capacity to 350 guests. Open from November to June, it was at first favored by visitors coming to Aiken for their health and later by wealthy Northerners who wintered here and formed the Aiken Winter Colony in the 1890s.
Interior features included mens and ladies billiard rooms and a bowling alley. The grounds included tennis and croquet courts, stables and riding trails, walking trails, and a pavilion. The hotel burned in 1898, and this site became a park. A new Highland Park Hotel, a Spanish Colonial Revival building, opened here in 1915. Originally 80 rooms, it was later enlarged to 125 rooms. That hotel was demolished in 1940.
Erected 2008 by South Carolina State Historic Preservation Office, sponsored by the Aiken County Historical Society. (Marker Number 2-42.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the South Carolina Historical Markers series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1870.
Location. 33° 33.539′ N, 81° 43.57′
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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 10 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Inclined Plane (within shouting distance of this marker); Legare-Morgan House (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Dibble Memorial Library (approx. 0.2 miles away); Plutonium-238 for Space Exploration (approx. 0.2 miles away); Woodmen Of The World (approx. 0.2 miles away); a different marker also named South Carolina Canal & Rail Road Company (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Cold War and Civil Defense in the Atomic Age (approx. 0.2 miles away); What's Inside? (approx. 0.2 miles away); The 97% to Survive (approx. 0.2 miles away); Hofmann (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Aiken.
Another marker is no longer nearby. South Carolina Canal & Rail Road Company (was approx. 0.2 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Also see . . .
1. Aiken Winter Colony Historic District I. Aiken Winter Colony Historic District I is significant as the area in Aiken most closely associated with the Winter Colony and the horse industry. (Submitted on January 5, 2011, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.)
2. Aiken Winter Colony Historic District II
Photographed by Mike Stroud, March 14, 2010
2. Highland Park Hotel Marker, reverse side
3. Aiken Winter Colony Historic District III. Aiken Winter Colony Historic District III is important as an intact collection of residences constructed for and rented by winter residents. (Submitted on January 5, 2011, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.)
Photographed by Mike Stroud, March 14, 2010
3. Highland Park Hotel Marker, seen near Highland Park Terrace SW
Photographed by Mike Stroud, March 14, 2010
4. Highland Park Hotel Marker seen along Highland Park Drive
Credits. This page was last revised on January 20, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 22, 2010, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 3,876 times since then and 194 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on April 22, 2010, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.
