Aiken is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Aiken County, in western South Carolina. It is one of the two largest cities of the Central Savannah River Area. Founded in 1835, Aiken was named after William Aiken, the president of the South Carolina Railroad. It became part of Aiken County when the county was formed in 1871 from parts of Orangeburg, Lexington, Edgefield, and Barnwell counties.
The Aiken Tennis Club is a private court tennis club located at 146 Newberry Street, SW in Aiken, South Carolina. It includes the Court Tennis Building. The club was incorporated in 1898 with the sponsorship of financier and founder of the prominent Whitney family, William C. Whitney. The building was constructed around 1902 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 27, 1984.
Whitehall is a historic home located at Aiken, South Carolina. It was constructed about 1928 for Robert R. McCormick, one of the owners of the Chicago Tribune. The house was designed by Willis Irvin of Augusta, who won a gold medal for Domestic Work at the 1929 Southern Architectural Exhibition with its design. The one-story, brick, U-shaped house was built on the foundation of an earlier, two-story house that had been destroyed by a fire. It is believed that some of the ornate interior woodwork came from the home of John C. Calhoun’s daughter. Whitehall gets its name form the old Whitehall estate on the ruins of which this house was constructed. Whitehall is a Georgian Revival residence. Each of the three sections has a gabled roof. The two projecting wings are pedimented and have a boxed cornice with block modillions, round vents and Doric pilasters at the corners. The central section features a pedimented Doric portico sheltering a central entrance with a semicircular fanlight and sidelights. A Doric entablature extends across the central section. Fenestration is regular six over six with dentiled architraves. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 27, 1984.
This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Aiken County, South Carolina.
St. Thaddeus Episcopal Church is parish of the Episcopal Church in Aiken, South Carolina. It is noted for its historic church at Pendleton and Richland Streets.
Horse Creek Valley is a geographic area along Horse Creek, a tributary of the Savannah River. It lies within present-day Aiken County, South Carolina. The area is alternately referred to as "Midland Valley". Rising near Vaucluse, South Carolina, Horse Creek enters the Savannah two miles downstream of downtown Augusta, Georgia. Other communities along Horse Creek include Graniteville, Warrenville, Gloverville, Langley, Burnettown, Bath, and Clearwater. While Horse Creek itself is rather insignificant, its potential for water power led to early examples of Southern industrialization, including a textile mill at Vaucluse (1830) and William Gregg's Graniteville Mill (1845). The textile industry continued to play a primary role until the Graniteville Train Derailment and final closure of the Graniteville Mill in 2006.
Aiken Mile Track, located in Aiken, South Carolina, was built around 1936 during the heart of the Great Depression. Horses and horse racing is known as the “sport of kings.” Within that context it is significant that such a track should be built during a time of nationwide double-digit unemployment, and noteworthy in the sense that it contributed to Aiken's success as an equestrian center and “Winter Colony” during those difficult days. The landmark consists of outbuildings as well, including numerous barns. It is an accessible landmark, no more than a few miles from downtown Aiken. Aiken Mile Track was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on May 9, 1985.
Aiken Winter Colony Historic District I, is located in Aiken, South Carolina, It is noteworthy in that it is viewed as the district most closely identified with the history of the Aiken Winter Colony. The area features over 30 properties, many of which are large impressive mansions with stables. Most of the properties were constructed between 1882 and 1948. It is possible to enjoy the district via “from the street,” but note that many of the properties and mansions are either fenced, or otherwise protected by shrubs and stately trees. Aiken Winter Colony Historic District I was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on November 27, 1984.
Aiken Winter Colony Historic District III, located in Aiken, South Carolina. It has 42 properties, most of which were seasonal residences. The pleasing district varies from small cottages to large estates. Architectural styles include Queen Anne, Victorian, Colonial Revival, and Classical Revival, among others. The district also includes the Aiken Preparatory School. Aiken Winter Colony Historic District III was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on November 27, 1984.
The Aiken Training Track, with its banked turns and soft straightaways, was considered one of the best tracks in the country upon its completion in 1941. Notable surrounding buildings include a stable, shed and grandstand. The track and supporting structures, as well as other structures may be enjoyed and viewed from the quiet roads that border the large district. The Aiken County Training Track, located in Aiken, South Carolina, was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on May 9, 1985.
The Georgia Avenue-Butler Avenue Historic District is located in North Augusta, South Carolina. The district overlooks the city of Augusta, Georgia. The district was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.
Joye Cottage is one of the oldest, and largest winter retreats in Aiken, South Carolina. Most of the sprawling property dates to 1897, when William Collins Whitney purchased the property and remodeled it extensively. It now includes a main house, a stable, a greenhouse, a laundry house, a couple of one-story cottages, and a squash court. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
The Legare-Morgan House is a one-story clapboard structure built in Aiken, South Carolina around 1835. From 1850 to 1859 it was the home of the artist, poet and inventor, James Mathews Legare. In 1870 the property was sold to Thomas C. Morgan. The home, located in proximity to Aiken's downtown area, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places September 22, 1977.
Lookaway Hall, built from 1895 to 1898, is a North Augusta, South Carolina landmark. A number of architectural details are significant, for the home was built in the Beaux Arts and Revival styles, made popular after the World's Columbian Exposition. This accessible landmark, near the historic Georgia Avenue-Butler Avenue Historic District, was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on August 13, 1992.
The Phelps House, is located in Aiken, South Carolina. The house was built in the early 1900s on the foundations of an antebellum house that had been destroyed during the Civil War. It is historically significant for several reasons, one of which is its very distinctive Shingle Style. This style, used often in the late 1800s and early 1900s in the resort homes of the rich, was rarely used in South Carolina. The large house has over 20 rooms, and the grounds include the stables, garage, greenhouses and kennels. As of 2012, the home is available for commercial purposes and due to this use, can be readily viewed and enjoyed. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on June 10, 1974.
The Pickens House, located in Aiken, South Carolina. It is reputed to have been built around 1829 by Governor Andrew Pickens for his son. In addition, the home is also noted for its early 19th century backcountry plantation architecture. Eventually the house was abandoned, and in 1929 it was moved from its original address near Edgefield to Aiken by a leading Aiken businesswoman and strong proponent of women's rights, Eulalie Chafee Salley. Around 1990 the home was again moved, this time to the campus of the University of South Carolina at Aiken. Much renovation work was taking place in the summer of 2012. The Pickens House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 19, 1983.
The Vaucluse Historic District, located in Vaucluse, South Carolina in Aiken County. The district includes the mill, number of accompanying buildings, and over eighty mill village homes. The district is noteworthy in that it is considered to be oldest mill village in the state. No less significant, the mill building, completed in 1877, was based on the plans of engineers A. D. Lockwood & Company of Providence, Rhode Island. The Lockwood successor firm, Lockwood, Greene & Company, would later design around fifty of South Carolina's textile manufacturing facilities. The Vancluse Historic District was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on May 7, 1996.
The Salley Historic District, located in Salley, South Carolina, consists of 99 contributing structures and 51 non-contributing resources, and provides a good example of a South Carolina rural community during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The town, located in Aiken County, South Carolina and incorporated in 1887, is named after D. H. Salley, owner of a large nearby plantation who was instrumental in the area's original development. The Salley Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 27, 2000.
The Charles E. Simons Jr. Federal Court House is located in Aiken, South Carolina. It is significant for its association with the many federal construction programs of the Great Depression era. The building, designed by Columbia, South Carolina architects Lafaye and Lafaye, is an excellent example of a Georgian Revival building, a style often used during the 1920s and 1930s for government buildings in smaller towns. The Court House was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on December 10, 2003.
Willcox's, located in Aiken, South Carolina, US, was an internationally known inn during the Aiken Winter Colony heyday. Operated from 1898 to 1957 by members of the Willcox family, the still-magnificent building reflects the influence of both Second Empire and Colonial Revival styles of architecture. The plan of the building is irregular in shape, consisting of a central block with asymmetrical wings. Of Aiken's once famous resort hostelries, only Willcox's is still standing. The landmark property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places March 19, 1982.
