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Aiken’s rich heritage and history is exceeded today only by its overwhelming charm and style. Visitors can stroll through a downtown with unique shopping and dining while still experiencing the same ambiance they would have over 200 years before. From its broad parkways to its rambling "cottages," Aiken is the happy product of years of homebuilders, storeowners and civic leaders who took pride in their town. Together, they built one of the most picturesque communities in the southeast, if not the country.
By preserving Aiken’s historic character, we not only improve the appearance and viability of our community, we enhance the quality of our lives. At a time of dizzying technological leaps and lifestyle changes, historic preservation is one way of remembering who we are and securing that rarest of all luxuries in a fast-changing world: a sense of permanence.
What You'll Find in Aiken
Golf
Aiken is home to one of America's oldest and finest golf courses - The Palmetto. There are eight additional courses nearby, including The Highland Park Country Club course, Houndslake Country Club, Woodside Plantation and Cedar Creek. The Masters Tournament, commonly referred to as The Masters or The US Masters (outside the United States), is one of four major championships in men's professional golf and the first to occur every year. The final round of the Masters each year is scheduled the second Sunday in April. Unlike the other major championships, the Masters is held every year at the same location, Augusta National Golf Club, a private golf club in Aiken/Augusta, Georgia, USA.
Equestrian
Then there are horses. Aiken's early families loved horses. With the area's warm climate, horse shows, polo games, races and drag hunts could be held year-round.
Today is no different. Polo is still played at Whitney Field, the site of the longest consecutive period of play on one field in the United States. Almost every major race in the country has at least one Aiken-trained horse in it.
Aiken's love for horses comes to a crest during Aiken's Triple Crown - three successive weekends of Polo, the Aiken Trails and the Aiken Steeplechase.
Neighborhoods
And there are its old houses and gardens. In addition to the green parkways adorning much of the inner city, Aiken has one of the largest urban forests in America - Hitchcock Woods. The entire city of Aiken has been declared an arboretum where you'll find many rare trees and shrubs.
The History of Aiken
To those of you desiring more than a causual glance, welcome to historic Aiken. Come and experience our town with its beautiful parkways and shaded streets, its double avenues and historic mansions. Enjoy a bit of our intriguing folklore, learn about Aiken’s historic railroad and the Winter Colony influence.
The South Carolina Canal and Railroad Company was established in 1828. William Aiken, president of the Railroad Company and one of South Carolina’s leading cotton merchants, hired Horatio Allen, a distinguished engineer who later built the Brooklyn Bridge, to build a railroad from Charleston to Hamburg, South Carolina, a site on the Savannah River. Work began in 1830 and on October 2, 1883, the first train arrived in the newly established town of Aiken, named in honor of the first railroad president. In 1834, engineers Alfred Dexter and C. O. Pascalis laid out the town with its wide streets and parkways, and Aiken was chartered in 1835. Aiken attracted many visitors, particularly wealthy Charlestonians who spent their summers at the "place of retreat from the heat and malaria of unhealthier regions." In 1865, as the War Between the States neared a conclusion, Confederate General Joseph Wheeler took his position in the town of Aiken to oppose Sherman’s raid and put an end to the Union advance westward. It was one of Sherman’s rare defeats along the way.
Aiken recovered quickly from the War and in 1870 began to attract wealthy Northerners, who were lured to the area by the opportunities for equestrian sports, thus establishing Aiken’s celebrated “Winter Colony.” Among those who wintered here was Thomas Hitchcock, who with the Whitneys established the tract of land known as Hitchcock Woods for public use.
The restorations experienced in houses and churches reflect the wealth and sophistication of the population during the Winter Colony era and illustrate its impact on the commuity. Hayne Avenue, Colleton, Avenue, South Boundary and Whiskey Road are old, fashionable residential avenues which attracted both local residents and winter visitors to build beautiful homes. Historic downtown Aiken continues to serve as a vibrant business hub for the community and provides a unique identity and charm for the area.
Opportunity
You could be a part of this amazing community. Contact Jake for the opportunity of a life-time, a fractionalized home owner in Aiken, S.C. Become a part of this historical society.
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