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 . . . — — Map (db m28716) HM
Aiken, chartered in 1835 and the county seat of Aiken County since its creation in 1871, was an early stop on the railroad line from Charleston to Hamburg. It was named for William Aiken (1779–1831), the first president of the S.C. Canal and . . . — — Map (db m9640) HM
Aiken County, created in 1871 from parts of Barnwell, Edgefield, Lexington, and Orangeburg counties, was named for William Aiken, first president of the South Carolina Canal and Railroad Company. Older industries in the county today are textiles, . . . — — Map (db m9707) HM
In Commemoration Of The
Founding Of Aiken County
on
March 10, 1871
Celebrating 125 years
County Commissioners:
Sen. C.D. Hayne, Rep. Gloster Holland,
Rep. William B. Jones, Rep. Sam J. Lee,
William Peel, Rep. Prince Rivers, . . . — — Map (db m34610) HM
(South Face)
They gave their all in defense of
Home, Honor, Liberty and the
Independence of their native land
They fought the patriots fight
They kept the faith of their fathers
Forever honored
And forever mourned
. . . — — Map (db m17047) HM
Forged in 1882 at
Troy, N.Y., the bell
hung in the courthouse
1882-1981.
In 1931, lightning
cracked the bell,
and caused a fire
that destroyed
the cupola. — — Map (db m9850) HM
The Aiken County Farmers’ Market, founded in 1951, was originally an open air market sponsored by the Edisto Grange. This building, which opened on May 21, 1954, was designed by Woodrow Jackson and built by the Aiken County chain gang. Farmers . . . — — Map (db m28630) HM
Life in Aiken
The coming of the railroad was a major factor
in the birth of Aiken. The all-important cotton
crop and Graniteville fabrics could get to market.
Add to life in Aiken a lady lonesome for her
wealthy friends up North and you . . . — — Map (db m63263) HM
This church, founded in 1805, predates the city of Aiken and was first called Levels Baptist Church. Its first location was a mile south of present-day Aiken. In 1836 the congregation joined with the members of the Wise Creek congregation to . . . — — Map (db m10060) HM
Aiken Hospital
The first public hospital in Aiken, at the corner of Richland Ave. and Vaucluse Rd., was built in 1917 for the Aiken Hospital and Relief Society, with donations from members of the “Aiken Winter Colony.” The City of . . . — — Map (db m54518) HM
The Aiken Institute, which gave this area the name of “Institute Hill,” was chartered in 1888. The main building, designed by I.F. Goodrich in 1891, includes a wing added in 1913. All grades attended the Institute until 1937, when a . . . — — Map (db m9942) HM
In Memory of Those Who
Died in the Vietnam War
Adams, Dwayne Lonnie • Adams, Joseph Boyce • Barton, Jere A. • Boyd, Wayne • Butler, Linnell • Callahan, Clifton Eugene • Clark, Allen Howell • Douse, James Louis • Garrett, Alonzo • Gay, . . . — — Map (db m86815) WM
In this building on
October 31, 1898
the author Jeff Scott
began collecting notes for
the Southern novel
Beneath The Glass Door.
Due to unforeseen circumstances
the book was not completed until
much later. Out of the scenic . . . — — Map (db m86818) HM
Near this spot on February 11, 1865
was fought one of the final Confederate
victories of the War Between The States.
Federal Cavalry commanded by Major
General Hugh Judson Kirkpatrick were
attacked by Confederate Cavalry
commanded by . . . — — Map (db m10061) HM
The source of water for early settlers.
A stagecoach stop on route from Abbeville to
Charleston, S.C. Deeded to City of Aiken 1844
by Wm. Peronneau Finley. Restored by many
friends in 1972.
(Upper Medallion)
The National . . . — — Map (db m56810) HM
The freshwater spring 1/2 mi. SE was used by prehistoric Indians. It was deeded to the town of
Aiken in 1844 by William Perroneau Finley (1803-1876) and furnished Aiken´s drinking water
throughout the 19th century. A regular stop on the . . . — — Map (db m63615) HM
In Memory of
the Confederate
soldiers who lost
their lives in
defense of Aiken,
Feb. 11, 1865
Erected by the Memorial
Association 1911
— — Map (db m88573) HM
This church, founded in 1858 with 14 charter members and W. Peronneau Finley and John D. Legare as elders, first met in the Aiken Town Hall on Laurens St. Its first permanent sanctuary, a frame building designed by Charleston architect Edward . . . — — Map (db m29274) HM
A sesquicentennial memorial gift to the city of Aiken by the family of Thomas H. Williamson (1888-1962), former county treasurer, member of the Aiken County Historical Commission and direct descendant of this cabin's builder. — — Map (db m102353) HM
Mayor
1946 - 1952
1957 - 1991
His office was our city's sidewalks and storefronts, and from his walks about the downtown he gained the information needed for leadership.
He was an advocate for harmony and teamwork, regardless of . . . — — Map (db m15136) HM
The Highland Park Hotel, Aiken’s 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 . . . — — Map (db m29974) HM
Hitchcock Woods, one of the largest urban forests in the United States, is an area consolidated between 1891 and 1898 by Celestine Eustis (d. 1921), Thomas Hitchcock (1860-1941), and William Whitney (1841-1904). Described as "the greatest equine . . . — — Map (db m9776) HM
Josef Casimir Hofmann, internationally
known Polish pianist, resided with his
wife, Aikenite Marie Eustis Hofmann, in
a three~story house located several
hundred feet west of here. Born near
Cracow, Poland, he was recognized as a
gifted . . . — — Map (db m10184) HM
Lawmaker
Supreme Court Justice
"Assistant President"
Secretary of State
Peacemaker
Governor
Citizen of Aiken, 1900-1926
He gave a lifetime of service to state, nation, and the world. — — Map (db m15133) HM
One of the oldest houses in Alken, this was home to the Legare family, including writer James Mathewes Legare (1823-1859), who lived here beginning in 1846. Portions of the house date to as early as 1837. The south wing was built c. 1852 as a . . . — — Map (db m213324) HM
This church, formally organized in 1884, had its origins in a Sunday school class organized in 1874. With 16 charter members and Rev. Arthur Buist as its first minister, Millbrook built its first sanctuary here in 1886. The frame church, built by . . . — — Map (db m38281) HM
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 . . . — — Map (db m29613) HM
(Front text)
This plantation house, first known as “Edgewood,” is an excellent example of Federal-era architecture. Originally near Edgefield, it was built in 1828 for Francis W. Pickens (1807-1869), state representative and . . . — — Map (db m43154) HM
Savannah River Site
Aiken, South Carolina
Space voyages are among the most inspiring and iconic endeavors of the 20th century, yet practical realities have limited spacefaring ambitions. Providing electricity and heat to a spacecraft in . . . — — Map (db m214812) HM
Named in 1985 by action
of the Aiken County
Legislative Delegation
and Highway Commission
in recognition of an
outstanding citizen and
his many contributions
to the life and well being
of his county, district.
and state
2nd . . . — — Map (db m44725) HM
This school was founded by the Freedmen's Bureau shortly after the Civil War to educate freedmen, women, and children. In 1868 Martha Schofield, a Quaker from Pennsylvania, came to Aiken and began her long career as superintendent. The school soon . . . — — Map (db m28821) HM
Began first successful scheduled steam railroad service in America on December 25, 1830, and by 1833 its 136 miles from Charleston to Hamburg made it the world’s longest railroad. Now part of Southern Railway System. — — Map (db m9999) HM
This church has its origin in 1825 as a Methodist congregation on the Hollow Creek Circuit that predates the city of Aiken. Rev. John Reynolds was the
first circuit rider serving St. John's, which shared a minister with St. John in Graniteville . . . — — Map (db m10163) HM
This Episcopal Church (cornerstone laid Sept. 5, 1842) was consecrated Aug. 9, 1843. It is the city’s oldest church structure, having retained its Greek revival style through subsequent remodeling. Church purchased bell in 1853, Cornish Memorial . . . — — Map (db m19634) HM
The Augusta and Aiken Railway, a 26 mile interurban electric trolley line between Augusta, Ga., and Aiken, operated from 1902 to 1929. In Aiken the line began at the corner of Park Ave. & Union St., proceeded west on Park, then north on Laurens . . . — — Map (db m10137) HM
The Detection of the Neutrino, 1956
On August 27, 1956, at the Savannah River Plant (now Savannah River Site), Drs. Clyde L. Cowan, Jr. (1919-1974) and Frederick Reines (1918-1999) used P Reactor to detect the neutrino, a sub-atomic particle . . . — — Map (db m43146) HM
Originally located in China Springs, near Aiken, and believed to have been built in the 1890's this schoolhouse was given to the Aiken County Historical Commission by Mrs. Guerin Hermann of Sandersville, Georgia in 1975.
The one room . . . — — Map (db m63475) HM
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. . . . — — Map (db m36676) HM
Iron heliometer tower, which served as an observatory, and housing for instruments, including powerful telescopes, used in viewing the December 6, 1882, Transit of Venus in Aiken, South Carolina. The observatory was built in two sections, each . . . — — Map (db m10193) HM
For many years, the water trough was located behind the County Courthouse. The following are to be commended for their efforts in restoring and re-establishing the trough as its new location on South Boundary.
Aiken County Historical Commission . . . — — Map (db m102364) HM
(Marker Front)
This park, laid out in 1904-05 was named for William Collins Whitney (1841-1904). Whitney, a lawyer, Secretary of the Navy 1885-1889 under Grover Cleveland, and financier, was also an avid sportsman and leading member of the . . . — — Map (db m10210) HM
URS Corporation on the occasion of the City of Aiken's 175th year, graciously donated this symbolic representation of William Aiken Sr. (1779-1831), for whom the city was named in 1835. Aiken was an entrepreneur and president of the South Carolina . . . — — Map (db m86825) HM
(West Face)
This Memorial is erected
in the memory of deceased
members of the Woodmen
of the World whose
Individual resting places
could not be marked
(East Face)
Woodmen of the World
Regional Memorial
(List of . . . — — Map (db m10270) HM
German prisoners of war were held in a camp on this site from November 1943 to May 1946. This camp, one of 21 in S.C., was at first a sub-camp of the POW camp at Camp Gordon (now Fort Gordon), in Augusta, Ga. It was later a sub-camp of Fort . . . — — Map (db m36396) HM
(side 1)
Sustained Jewish settlement in Aiken dates to the 1890s. By 1920, a concentration of Jewish-owned businesses had opened along this section of Laurens Street and other streets nearby. The first known Jewish merchant in Aiken was . . . — — Map (db m225550) HM
