Allen Riddick

Latest Author Features

The Martha Schofield School | A History

Of all the schools in Aiken County, none has had such a long and interesting history of growth and evolution as Schofield School. Martha Schofield, a Quaker from Pennsylvania, came to Aiken from the coast of South Carolina, where she had been teaching the children of newly freed slaves after the end of the Civil War. She chose to come to Aiken because of her fragile health — at the time Aiken had a reputation as a healthy place to live. After a couple of years in Aiken working for the Freedmen’s Bureau, Schofield opened her own school in 1868. Her first school was a small wood-frame building. Miss Schofield

Grocery Stores in Aiken

Most people take for granted the convenience and “luxury” of shopping in the modern mega grocery stores of today like Kroger, Publix, Fresh Market, and Walmart. Things were not always this way. A Brief History Prior to 1946 most grocery stores in Aiken — the exception would be Hahn and Co. on Laurens Street where Aiken Drugs used to be — were small mom-and-pop operations that just sold basic staples. That all changed in 1946 with the opening of the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Co., better known as the A&P, on Park Avenue in what is now the Chesser Building. Augusta University Health and Aiken Dermatology reside in that

The Augusta-Aiken Trolley Line | A History

The Augusta-Aiken Railway, better known as the Trolley, was established in 1902 by the Augusta-Aiken Electric Railroad Company. James U. Jackson, who owned the Hampton Terrace Hotel and Golf Course in North Augusta, was one of the principal promoters of the Trolley Line. The route started in Aiken near the current Aiken Visitor’s Center, went down Park Avenue, and turned onto Laurens Street. It proceeded into Graniteville via Hampton Avenue and on what is Trolley Line Road today. Graniteville was the first stop in the “Valley,” and stops followed in Warrenville, Langley, and Clearwater. The Trolley then made its way into North Augusta and on into Augusta. It was a

The Highland Park Hotel | A History

The Highland Park Hotel, Aiken’s first grand hotel, was situated on the western end of Park Avenue on the plateau overlooking what is now the Aiken Golf Club. It was constructed in 1869 – 1870. In 1874 its capacity was doubled to 300 guests with an addition on the left side. The hotel was constructed at a time when Aiken was considered a health resort because of its pine-scented air, mild climate, and sandy soil. Over the years the hotel advertised large rooms with sunny exposure, marble-top walnut furniture, and rooms lit with rosin gas and warmed with open fireplaces. All rooms had electric bells. Hot and cold baths were