Aiken in Aiken County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
The S.C. Railroad
The tracks of the S.C. Railroad, operated by the S.C. Canal & Railroad Company, ran here from 1833 to the 1850s. The company, chartered in 1827, began constructing a 136-mile long line from Charleston to Hamburg (near North Augusta) in 1830. Completed in 1833, the railroad was the longest in America at the time and the first to carry the United States mails. Aiken, chartered in 1835, was named for William Aiken (1779-1831), the railroads first president.
The original tracks through Aiken, one of the first railroad towns in the United States, ran along this street, then known as Railroad Avenue. Railroad Avenue was renamed Park Avenue in the 1850s after the tracks were moved one block south into the Railroad Cut. Though the S.C. Railroad flourished before the Civil War, it struggled during Reconstruction and afterwards. It was eventually absorbed into the Southern Railway in 1902.
Erected 2010 by South Carolina State Historic Preservation Office, sponsored by the Aiken County Historical Society, replacing a marker erected by the society in 1962. (Marker Number 2-1.)
Topics and series. This historical
this page online
Location. 33° 33.559′ N, 81° 43.29′ W. Marker is in Aiken, South Carolina, in Aiken County. It is at the intersection of Newberry Street Southwest and Park Avenue Southwest, in the median on Newberry Street Southwest. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 186 Park Ave SW, 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 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: William Aiken, Sr. (within shouting
Photographed by Mike Stroud, September 28, 2010
2. The S.C. Railroad Marker, reverse side
Regarding The S.C. Railroad. Replacement of the 1962 Marker
Also see . . .
1. South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company. Southern Railway (now Norfolk Southern Railway) gained control of the line in 1899 and obtained a lease to the South Carolina and Georgia Railroad in 1902. The lease is still in effect. (Submitted on October 7, 2010, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.)
2. William Aiken. William Aiken (1779–1831), or William Aiken, Sr., was the founder and president of the pioneering South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company. (Submitted on January 6, 2011, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.)
3. Hamburg, Aiken County, South Carolina.
Photographed by Mike Stroud, September 28, 2010
4. The S.C. Railroad Marker as seen at Park Avenue and Laurens Street SW
This is a photo of the marker in its prior environs.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 23, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 7, 2010, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 2,323 times since then and 60 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on January 23, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 2. submitted on October 7, 2010, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. 3. submitted on January 23, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 4. submitted on October 7, 2010, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.
Editor’s want-list for this marker. Photos of the 1962 marker (qualifies for its own profile if there is any change in the inscription) • Can you help?
