Check out the events page. Aiken has a lot going on. Did you know Aiken owes a lot of it's existence to trains?

"Why did the Southern Railway build such a handsome depot in Aiken in 1899 which was far more elaborate than most of its other stations? We think we know.

In the winter of 1891-1892, New York socialites Thomas and Louise Hitchcock, (the Hitchcock family had been associated with the New York Stock Exchange for three decades), spent the colder months of the year in Aiken because it was a beloved place of Louise Hitchcock's youth.

Mr. Hitchcock immediately recognized Aiken as the ideal place to train young thoroughbred horses because the ground never froze, the water was pure and soft and the sand/clay soil provided the perfect footing for the fragile ankles of young horses.

The next winter, the Hitchcocks started inviting their high society friends to spend "the season" in Aiken playing all manner of outdoor sports. Mr. Hitchcock's friend and business partner, William C. Whitney, another stockbroker and one of the richest men in the country, followed them down and also fell in love with the charms of Aiken. Together, in 1892, they built a thoroughbred training center,...As a result of his tragic loss, Whitney championed the building of a new and much larger depot."

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Q + A

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