How Aiken Became a Horse Town
Long before it became a fabled destination for equestrians, Aiken was a railroad town. It was incorporated in 1835 and named for South Carolina Railroad president William Aiken Sr. By 1854 the Aiken Hotel was fielding more than 400 winter reservation requests for a town of under 700 year-round residents.
The Hitchcocks arrive
Celestine Eustis brought her orphaned niece Louise to Aiken after the Civil War. Louise married Thomas Hitchcock Sr., a New York sportsman, and in the early 1890s the couple started inviting friends south for the winter. William C. Whitney came next. Hitchcock and Whitney bought the land that became our cherished Hitchcock Woods.
The families who followed included the Vanderbilts, Knoxes, Goodyears, Posts, Graces, Bostwicks, and Astors. They arrived by private rail car with staff, dogs, and horses, and built "cottages" near the Hitchcock land. They foxhunted, played polo, raced, played court tennis, and hunted quail through March.
What they built
Polo: first played in Aiken in 1882.
Steeplechase: the Aiken Steeplechase Association formed in 1930.
Racing: the Aiken Track Trials started in 1942, giving young thoroughbreds a first live race. Palace Malice, the 2013 Belmont Stakes winner, trained here.
Hitchcock Woods: after Lulie Hitchcock died in a hunting accident, the family created a foundation in 1939 and donated 1,120 acres. Later purchases brought it past 2,000 acres. It's open year round to riders, hikers, and dog walkers and is a truly magical place.
What you can still see
Joye Cottage, Whitney's former hunting lodge. It was purchased in 1989 for $2.8 million by Pulitzer Prize-winning biographers Steven Naifeh and the late Gregory White Smith, who spent 25 years restoring the historic 20,000-square-foot estate. Its restoration was chronicled in the book "On a Street Called Easy, In a Cottage Called Joye," and the property later inspired the creation of the local arts festival "Joye in Aiken."
Banksia, one of Aiken's original "Winter Colony cottages" that was named after the yellow Banksia roses that grew on the grounds. The 17,500 sf mansion now houses the Aiken County Historical Museum.
The Willcox, the one Winter Colony-era hotel still standing. The hotel hosted Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Elizabeth Arden. It's still a staple of downtown Aiken charm; enjoying a drink by one of the lobby's fireplaces is a must-do on any visitor's list.
The Track Kitchen, serving breakfast at the training track since 1957! This local gem holds Aiken's racing history on the walls. Media clippings cover the walls, and just out the front windows you're likely see horses hacking down the dirt road to lope on the one of the Horse District's polo fields. The Track Kitchen is only open for breakfast, 8-11 every morning, and it's cash only.
Clay roads traveling through the Horse District feels like stepping back in time. Besides the fact that this neighborhood of tiny farms is only blocks from downtown, the dirt roads add nothing but charm. It's uncommon to NOT see horses hacking along the road during the season. Drive slow to avoid riders, but also because if you peek through the massive magnolia trees, you'll catch a glimpse of some of the most beautiful, impressive "cottages" in Aiken.
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